Centrifuge model testing of a loess landslide induced by rising groundwater in Northwest China

Considerable artificial irrigation in the Heifangtai area has caused the continued rise of groundwater levels, which has resulted in several large-scale landslides in the loess platform area. Considering the No. 13 landslide of Jiaojia in the Heifangtai area as a geological archetype, a series of centrifuge tests was conducted to study the deformation and failure characteristics of the slope due to the continuous rise in the groundwater level. Meanwhile, the pore water pressure, earth pressure, deformation, and evolution characteristics of the slope were monitored and recorded in real time. Furthermore, isotropically consolidated undrained triaxial testing (ICU) was conducted to investigate the static liquefaction of loess specimens, which was related to the slope instability. The centrifuge test results showed that a series of parallel and steep tension cracks at the top of the slope were present before the landslide, which was caused by the rising groundwater. The ICU experimental results showed that as the pore water pressure increased, strong strain softening and static liquefaction of saturated loess soils were found, which was related to the sudden destruction of the slope.