An overview of various treatment methods to arrest surficial slope failures

Surficial failures occur frequently on slopes of earthen embankments of dams which are predominantly caused by rainfall infiltration into desiccation cracks formed during the dry summer seasons. This infiltration causes increase of pore water pressures and saturates the soil mass in the upper layers, resulting in surficial failures. Numerous surficial failures have occurred on earth-fill dams maintained and operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District. Several techniques have been used to arrest/mitigate these failures. This paper summarizes a state of the art comprehensive literature review of various methods attempted to mitigate surficial failures on slopes of earthen embankments. Methods attempted include both mechanical and chemical stabilization methods. Stabilization methods such as fiber reinforcements, soil nailing, and chemical treatment techniques are discussed. Case studies are presented where these methods were successfully implemented in attempting to mitigate surficial failures on slopes. Overall, individual merits and limitations of each of the stabilization techniques are discussed. This is an attempt to help engineers understand the various available options to reduce surficial slope failures so that they can decide on the method that best suits the slope projects.