Prediction of Seepage and Slope Stability in a Flume Test and an Experimental Field Case

As a participant to round robin test, Middle East Technical University (METU) team performed infiltration and slope stability analyses to simulate a laboratory flume infiltration test and a field experiment, and calculated, for both cases, changes in the suction distribution and in slope stability due to rainfall and evaporation. The overall methodology, the details of the numerical model, calibrations to assess accurate soil properties and estimation procedure for both cases are explained and presented in this study. Use of separate wetting and drying soil hydraulic properties are found to be necessary for proper infiltration simulations. For field cases, it is concluded that evaporation and its duration also plays a critical role and must be considered in numerical analyses.