Stability analysis of a water-rich slope stabilized by a novel upper-hollow drainage anti-slide pile

A novel upper-hollow drainage anti-slide pile (UDAP) was proposed to overcome the disadvantages of the underground drainage methods and the conventional anti-slide pile (CAP) and to effectively stabilize the hydrodynamic landslides. The working performance of the UDAP and the stability of the water-rich slope stabilized by the UDAP are studied by means of an exhaustive numerical simulation. The results of the numerical simulation are shown as follows: (a) the stability of the water-rich slope stabilized by the UDAP is greater than that stabilized by the CAP; (b) the deflection, the earth pressure acting on the UDAP, and the internal forces of the UDAP are significantly less than that of the CAP during the failure process of the water-rich slope; (c) the stability of the water-rich slope stabilized by the UDAP increases with the increase of the permeability of the sliding mass (K1), while the stability of the water-rich slope stabilized by the CAP is hardly affected; the stability of the water-rich slope stabilized by the UDAP or the CAP is decreased with the increase of the pile spacing; (d) the alternative arrangement of the UDAP and the CAP can not only provide the safety reserve of the stabilizing project but can still effectively enhance the stability of the water-rich slope. The results of this study provide some new and important guidance about the design and the actual application of the UDAP.