Influence of rainfall on soil slopes reinforced with treated natural fibres: a numerical study

Rainfall infiltration causes slope stability problems frequently in tropical regions and other parts of the globe. In this study, soil slope with varying angles (30 degrees, 45 degrees 60 degrees) is reinforced with natural jute geotextiles to reduce the effect of rainfall on slopes. As jute geotextiles are biodegradable, the alkali-activated binder (AAB) treatment with varying water/solids ratios (0.35, 0.40 and 0.45) is applied to the jute to enhance its strength and durability. The study analyses how low (10.2 mm/hr) and high (23.4 mm/hr) rainfall intensities affect the stability of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes using finite element software Plaxis-2D. The maximum deformation of slope under rainfall mainly depends on rainfall intensity, slope steepness and reinforcement. Slope deformation considerably decreased across all slope angles when 0.35 AAB jute was applied. With 0.35 AAB jute, the factor of safety reached up to 3.52 for a 30 degrees slope, which shows that the slope has become more stable.