STRESS ANALYSIS OF VALLEY FILLS CONSIDERING RAINFALL INFILTRATION CONDITIONS

Abstract

 In recent years, many cases of collapse and damage of soil structures have been reported worldwide due to the sudden increase in heavy rainfall due to climate change. However, analysis of the factors that lead to the fracture of these structure and the fracture mechanisms have not been fully investigated. Therefore, numerical analysis is attracting attention as a way to better understand the behavior of ground under various construction and rainfall conditions to ensure the ultra-long-term safety of soil structures and to extend their life. Under these circumstances, we performed in this study a construction analysis of valley fills by using three types of materials (sand, silt-mixed sand, and sand-mixed silt) and rainfall analysis under multiple conditions and intensities. From the analysis results, we conclude that the weakening of valley fills can be roughly divided into three patterns according to the relationship between the flow rate due to rainfall and the infiltration rate of the embankment material.