Effect of Extreme Rainfall on Cut Slope Stability: Case Study in Yen Bai City, Viet Nam

This paper addresses the effects of extreme rainfall on the stability of cut slopes in Yen Bai city, Northern Viet Nam. In this area, natural slopes are excavated to create places for infrastructures and buildings. Cut slopes are usually made without proper site investigations; the design is mostly based on experience. In recent years, many slope failures have occurred along these cuts especially in rainy seasons, resulting in properties damaged and loss of lives. To explain the reason that slope failure often happens during rainy seasons, this research analyzed the influence of extreme rainfalls, initial ground conditions, and soil permeability on the changes of pore water pressure within the typical slope, thereafter determining the impact of these changes on the slope stability factor of safety. The extreme rainfalls were selected based on all of the rainfalls triggering landslide events that have occurred over the period from 1960 to 2009. The factor of safety (FS) was calculated using Bishop's simplified method. The results show that when the maximum infiltration capacity of the slope top soil is less than the rainfall intensity, slope failures may occur 14 hours after the rain starts. And when this happens, the rainfall duration is the deciding factor that affects the slope FS values. In short, cut slopes in Yen Bai may be stable in normal conditions after the excavation, but under the influence of tropical rain storms, their stability is always questionable.