Abstract
AbstractCurrent research interest in geotechnical design for climate change adaptation focuses onutilizing waste materials for slope stability against rainfall-induced failures. Therefore, steelslag and recycled concrete were integrated into the retaining wall, known as the GeoBarriersystem (GBS), to prevent such failures. The present study investigated the feasibility of steelslag as a coarse-grained material and recycled concrete as a fine-grained material withinGBS. Index properties, soil-water characteristic curves, permeability functions, andunsaturated shear strength parameters of steel slag and recycled concrete were determined viacomprehensive experimental works. Numerical assessments of the rainfall infiltration into theslope and the stability of the slope under rainfall conditions were accomplished using theSEEP/W and SLOPE/W analysis tools, respectively. According to the findings, nobreakthrough into the steel slag was observed inside the GBS. Based upon the changes in thepore-water pressure and the factor of safety (FOS) versus time graphs, steel slag and recycledconcrete were found to be suitable for use as coarse- and fine-grained layers of the GBS tominimize slope rainwater infiltration and improve the FOS of a slope with a height of 10 mand an inclination of 70°, respectively.Keywords: GeoBarrier system (GBS); rainfall; slope stability; unsaturated soil; wastematerials