Stability Analysis of the Huasushu Slope Under the Coupling of Reservoir Level Decline and Rainfall

The coupling of water level fluctuations and heavy rainfall in the Three Gorges reservoir area poses a significant threat to the stability of bank slopes, especially in landslide areas with complex geological conditions. In this study, the Huasushu slope in Fengjie County, Chongqing, was taken as th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hao Yang, Yingfa Lu, Jin Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5781
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Summary:The coupling of water level fluctuations and heavy rainfall in the Three Gorges reservoir area poses a significant threat to the stability of bank slopes, especially in landslide areas with complex geological conditions. In this study, the Huasushu slope in Fengjie County, Chongqing, was taken as the research object and, based on a field investigation and monitoring data, two- and three-dimensional numerical models were constructed to analyze the response mechanism of the slope under the combined effects of different reservoir water level decreases and rainfall. In addition, the safety coefficients under each working condition were calculated using the Morgenstern–Price method. The results show that it is difficult to trigger significant deformation with a single water level drop or rainfall. However, when the reservoir water level drops more than 10 m within a short period of time and is superimposed with strong rainfall, the landslide body is prone to plastic zone extension and significant displacement, showing typical strain localization characteristics. The three-dimensional model further reveals the spatial distribution characteristics of the landslide deformation area, which helps to accurately identify potential destabilization locations. The research results provide theoretical support for the construction of early warning systems for reservoir bank slopes and have reference value for the development of disaster mitigation engineering measures based on the coupling mechanism of rainwater and reservoir water.
ISSN:2076-3417