Influence of dowel group configuration on the stability of reinforced slopes

Abstract

Introduction. Slope reinforcement with dowels is the most economical and environmentally friendly method of their stabilization. However, the lack of theoretically substantiated schemes for optimal placement of dowels in groups, confirmed by tests in various conditions, leads to inefficient, often excessive use of the material in the arrangement of engineering protection.Aim. To determine the most effective arrangement of dowels in groups with regard to the overall stability of the reinformed soil mass. To assess quantitatively the stability depending on the spacing and shape of dowels in the group.Materials and methods. A review of international and Russian literature on the problem of assessing the influence of geometric parameters of dowel and anchor groups was carried out. According to the results of the review, primary calculations with the use of numerical simulation in the PLAXIS 3D software package was carried out.Results. The available publications mainly analyze configurations of screw anchor groups, paying insufficient attention the use of dowels of cylindrical cross-section. This fact substantiates further research in this field. The conducted numerical simulation allowed the slope stability provided by five dowel group configurations to be compared. The calculation results show that the slope stability depends on the configuration and the number of dowels in the group. The difference between the stability factors for the polygonal and triangular three-row configuration was 0.072 %, with the polygonal configuration requiring three dowels less. Selection of optimal dowel placement contributes to increased landslide control efficiency and reduced costs.Conclusions. The relevance and importance of studying the effect of dowel group configuration on slope stability, emphasizing the need for more in-depth and comprehensive research in this area.