Effects of water seepage on the stability of soil-slopes

Landslide is a kind of severe natural disaster and societal hazard throughout the world. Among various effecting factors, water is commonly known as one of the major triggers for landslide failures. In this paper, a coupling model of water-seepage and stability analysis has been developed for analyzing the effect of water on the stability of slopes. A combination of spline curves and genetic algorithm is used to locate the critical slip surface for slope stability calculations. A new analytical solution of the linearized Boussinesq equation was developed for one-dimensional groundwater flow in unconfined aquifer. An actual landslide located in the Three Gorges Reservoir was analyzed by simulating the changes of the seepage field caused by rainfall and water level fluctuation. The influences of water seepage on the stability of landslide were discussed with emphasis. The results show that rainfall infiltration and the variation of water level can tremendously influence the stability of slopes.