Abstract
The study quantified laboratory geotechnical variability by analyzing compacted alluvial fine-grained soils commonly used to backfill exhausted quarries in Central Italy. Repeating the test 4 times and combining the relevant results, 256 pairs of friction angle and cohesion values were obtained, with mean values of 27.0° ± 0.8° and 19.22 ± 4.08 kPa, respectively in the shear stress range 100–250 kPa. The influence of the variability of laboratory drained shear strength parameters on the long-term stability of artificial saturated slopes was examined, taking into account both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. In many cases, when the deterministic approach indicates stability, the probabilistic one indicates a certain probability of instability, even for the lowest slope height (5 m) and a slope angle higher than 15°.
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Acknowledgments
This work was financed by ISTEDIL (ISTE 09). The authors wish to thank Prof. Antonio Federico and Prof. Walter Dragoni for their help in improving the article. The technical assistance of Giuseppe Vinti, Armando Capuccini, Marianna Ragni e Luca Ciabatta is greatly appreciated.
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Di Matteo, L., Valigi, D. & Ricco, R. Laboratory shear strength parameters of cohesive soils: variability and potential effects on slope stability. Bull Eng Geol Environ 72, 101–106 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-013-0459-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-013-0459-6