Hillslope Hydrology and Stability

About this book

Landslides are caused by a failure of the mechanical balance within hillslopes. This balance is governed by two coupled physical processes: hydrological or subsurface flow and stress. The stabilizing strength of hillslope materials depends on effective stress, which is diminished by rainfall. This book presents a cutting-edge quantitative approach to understanding hydro-mechanical processes across variably saturated hillslope environments and to the study and prediction of rainfall-induced landslides. Topics covered include historic synthesis of hillslope geomorphology and hydrology, total and effective stress distributions, critical reviews of shear strength of hillslope materials and different bases for stability analysis. Exercises and homework problems are provided for students to engage with the theory in practice. This is an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers in hydrology, geomorphology, engineering geology, geotechnical engineering and geomechanics and for professionals in the fields of civil and environmental engineering and natural hazard analysis.

Contents

Foreword by Professor Dani Or
Preface
List of symbols

Part I. Introduction and State of the Art
1. Introduction
2. Hillslope geomorphology

Part II. Hillslope Hydrology
3. Steady infiltration
4. Transient infiltration

Part III. Total and Effective Stress
5. Total stress in hillslopes
6. Effective stress in soil

Part IV. Material Properties
7. Strength of hillslope materials
8. Hydro-mechanical properties

Part V. Hillslope Stability
9. Failure surface-based stability analysis
10. Stress field-based stability analysis

References
Index

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