Effect of the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC)  parameters on the slope stability of an earth dam in steady state and rapid drawdown

asghari pari, seyed ali

doi:10.22034/JEG.2025.19.5.1018842

Volume 19, Issue 5 (English articles 2025) 2025, 19(5): 627-647 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.22034/JEG.2025.19.5.1018842

‎ 20.1001.1.22286837.1404.19.5.1.2

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asghari pari S A. Effect of the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) parameters on the slope stability of an earth dam in steady state and rapid drawdown. Journal of Engineering Geology 2025; 19 (5) :627-647
URL: http://jeg.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3150-en.html

Effect of the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) parameters on the slope stability of an earth dam in steady state and rapid drawdown

Seyed ali Asghari pari

Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology , asgharipari@bkatu.ac.ir

Abstract: (2634 Views)

This study investigates the effect of Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) parameters on the slope stability of an earth dam under steady-state and rapid drawdown conditions. Given the importance of unsaturated soil behavior in earth dams, this research employs principles of unsaturated soil mechanics to analyze the influence of SWCC parameters on water flow rate and slope stability.The results indicate that parameters a and n positively enhance the flow rate, while an increase in parameter m reduces it. In slope stability analysis, parameters of SWCC showed negligible effects on the downstream slope stability, whereas an increase in m caused a slight reduction in the safety factor. Under rapid drawdown conditions, all parameters initially led to a decrease in the safety factor, but stability was restored after 10 days. Additionally, accounting for the unsaturated unit weight of the soil improved the safety factor in both steady-state and rapid drawdown scenarios. These findings highlight the critical role of unsaturated soil conditions in the design and stability analysis of earth dams.

Keywords: Earth dam, Unsaturated soil, Stability analysis, Rapid draw down, GeoStudio.

Full-Text [PDF 1518 kb] (118 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research | Subject: Geotecnic
Received: 2025/02/24 | Accepted: 2025/06/10 | Published: 2025/08/27