Effect of Soil-Water Characteristic Curve on the Stability of Unsupported Vertical Trenches in Unsaturated Soils

Abstract

In geotechnical engineering practice, unsupported vertical trenches are typically excavated in unsaturated soils. In this case, the variation of shear strength and hydraulic conductivity with respect to soil suction is key information to analyze the stability of an unsupported vertical trench. Most shear strength and hydraulic conductivity models use the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) as a main tool. Various models are available to determine SWCC, shear strength, and hydraulic conductivity for unsaturated soils. Scholars or practitioners use one the existing models in numerical analyses to estimate the stability of unsupported vertical trench considering rainfall events. However, limited studies have been undertaken to investigate the effect of SWCC and hydraulic conductivity functions on the stability of unsupported vertical trenches in unsaturated soils. In the present study, numerical stability analyses are carried out by using different SWCCs and hydraulic conductivity functions to investigate their influence on the estimated safe height and stand-up time of unsupported vertical trenches. The same shear strength model was used for entire numerical analyses.