Mitigation of Rainfall-induced Mobility of Slow-moving Landslides Using Piles

The present study focused on landslides undergoing cyclic reactivation due to groundwater level fluctuations induced by rainfall, and on the use of stabilizing piles for reducing their mobility and safeguarding existing transportation infrastructure. To this end, a simplified methodology was employed to predict the mobility of such landslides, considering the presence of stabilizing piles. The moving soil mass was represented using a two-wedge model. Analytical solutions were derived to relate rainfall data to water-table variations and, subsequently, to landslide mobility, taking into account the stabilizing contribution provided by the piles. The predictive capability of the proposed method was evaluated by examining a well-documented landslide reactivated by a road cut during the rainy season. The methodology was applied to this case study to quantify the effectiveness of the piles, and demonstrated the utility of the method for predictive purposes. The results showed that an adequate design of the piles can lead to a significant reduction of landslide mobility during the reactivation stages.