Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical responses of a reservoir-induced landslide tracked by high-resolution fiber optic sensing nerves

Bibliographic Details
Title: Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical responses of a reservoir-induced landslide tracked by high-resolution fiber optic sensing nerves
Authors: Xiao Ye, Hong-Hu Zhu, Gang Cheng, Hua-Fu Pei, Bin Shi, Luca Schenato, Alessandro Pasuto
Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Vol 16, Iss 3, Pp 1018-1032 (2024)
Publisher Information: Elsevier, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction
Subject Terms: Reservoir landslide, Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical response, Ultra-weak fiber bragg grating (UWFBG) subsurface evolution, Engineering geological interface, Geotechnical monitoring, Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction, TA703-712
More Details: Thermo-poro-mechanical responses along sliding zone/surface have been extensively studied. However, it has not been recognized that the potential contribution of other crucial engineering geological interfaces beyond the slip surface to progressive failure. Here, we aim to investigate the subsurface multi-physics of reservoir landslides under two extreme hydrologic conditions (i.e. wet and dry), particularly within sliding masses. Based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UWFBG) technology, we employ special-purpose fiber optic sensing cables that can be implanted into boreholes as “nerves of the Earth” to collect data on soil temperature, water content, pore water pressure, and strain. The Xinpu landslide in the middle reach of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China was selected as a case study to establish a paradigm for in situ thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical monitoring. These UWFBG-based sensing cables were vertically buried in a 31 m-deep borehole at the foot of the landslide, with a resolution of 1 m except for the pressure sensor. We reported field measurements covering the period 2021 and 2022 and produced the spatiotemporal profiles throughout the borehole. Results show that wet years are more likely to motivate landslide motions than dry years. The annual thermally active layer of the landslide has a critical depth of roughly 9 m and might move downward in warmer years. The dynamic groundwater table is located at depths of 9–15 m, where the peaked strain undergoes a periodical response of leap and withdrawal to annual hydrometeorological cycles. These interface behaviors may support the interpretation of the contribution of reservoir regulation to slope stability, allowing us to correlate them to local damage events and potential global destabilization. This paper also offers a natural framework for interpreting thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical signatures from creeping reservoir bank slopes, which may form the basis for a landslide monitoring and early warning system.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1674-7755
Relation: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167477552300135X; https://doaj.org/toc/1674-7755
DOI: 10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.04.004
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/eca5a6da3014496ea448c4b7040a42df
Accession Number: edsdoj.5a6da3014496ea448c4b7040a42df
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:16747755
DOI:10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.04.004
Published in:Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
Language:English