Evaluation and Monitoring of Slope Stability in Cold Region: Case Study of Man-Made Slope at Øysand, Norway

Abstract

Recently, the road and railways infrastructure developments in Norway have led to renewed interests on the geotechnical challenges associated with slope stability under freezing-thawing cycles. Despite the amount of research available on the topic, there are few comprehensive studies involving laboratory testing, numerical analysis, and field monitoring of a slope during a freezing–thawing. In this case study, a critical slope was identified in a cold region based on field and laboratory tests, and a series of numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate the governing factor of slope stability using finite element methods. A remote monitoring system was installed on a real scale man-made slope to observe its behavior against the governing factors of slope stability. As a result, it was found that slope stability at the critical slope was significantly impacted by the freezing–thawing action, which was confirmed by the initial field observations from 2019 to 2020. Later, continuous monitoring data could be used to update soil parameters and to implement an early warning system for the high risky slope areas effected by freezing–thawing action in many cold regions.