Use of Vacuum for the Stabilization of Dry Sand Slopes

Abstract

Vacuum is proposed as a means for rescuing soil slopes showing signs of impending failure. Two aspects associated with the proposed method were studied; namely, the theory of airflow through dry soils and the effectiveness of vacuum for enhancing the stability of soil slopes. A model test device was developed, and two series of tests were carried out using this device. One was a series of tests on pore-air pressure distributions in dry sand slopes, and the second series involved dry sand slope stability tests. The results revealed that a vacuum (negative pore-air pressure) even as small as −0.4 kPa significantly increased the stability of the model slopes with dimensions of