Unified Analytical Framework for Rainfall-Induced Slope Instability Considering Crack and Raindrop Effects
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, cilt.152, sa.9, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 152 Sayı: 9
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1061/jggefk.gteng-14977
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Applied Science & Technology Source, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, ICONDA Bibliographic, INSPEC, The International Construction Database (ICONDA), Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Raindrop impact, Rainfall-induced slope instability, Safety factor, Surface cracking, Unsaturated slopes
- Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Rainfall-induced slope failures are among the most frequent and damaging geohazards worldwide. Existing analytical methods often emphasize matric suction loss while overlooking the combined hydraulic, geometric, and mechanical processes that jointly drive failure. This study introduces a new analytical framework that systematically integrates suction reduction, groundwater rise, wetting-induced weight increase, and two additional mechanisms-hydrostatic effects of water-filled tension cracks and raindrop impact pressure treated as an external dynamic load-into a unified limit-equilibrium formulation for unsaturated slopes. The critical failure plane is identified using an equal-mobilization criterion that ensures consistent mobilization of cohesive and frictional strength components under evolving suction and stress conditions. Validation against documented field failures shows close agreement between predicted and observed safety factors, capturing near-critical behavior under heavy rainfall. Parametric analyses highlight the coupled influence of rainfall intensity, duration, crack depth, and soil properties. Water-filled cracks accelerate suction loss and impose hydrostatic pressure, while raindrop impact adds a mechanical load that can initiate failure before full saturation. The factor of safety increases nonlinearly with suction but drops sharply near saturation, indicating a tipping threshold at which minor wetting may trigger collapse. By integrating hydrological, mechanical, and surface-loading processes, the proposed framework offers a physically consistent and practically applicable basis for hazard evaluation, early-warning development, and climate-resilient slope design in rainfall-prone regions.