EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS IN A 1G PHYSICAL MODEL FOR THE SIMULATION OF SUPERFICIAL LANDSLIDES ON UNSATURATED SLOPE INDUCED BY ARTIFICIAL PRECIPITATION
Physical Modeling; 1g Small Scale Slope Physical Model; Mass Movements; Infiltration in Unsaturated Soil; Experimental Analysis.
The increase in greenhouse gas emissions, ocean pollution, large-scale deforestation, increased energy, and hydraulic demand, as well as other excesses produced by human action, contributed to the unnatural acceleration of climate change. As a consequence of climate change, it was observed that there has been a significant increase in the periodicity and intensity of climate phenomena, including mass movements induced by intense precipitation events. These phenomena, naturally, are processes of the genesis of the Earth's surface. However, they present a severe geological risk due to the magnitude of destruction caused in urban environments, where there is a civil occupation in hillside regions. In this context, several methods based on computational tools were developed to help understand the boundary conditions of the water flow on the slope resulting from rain, which ultimately determines its behavior and mechanical performance. However, physical modeling also showed promise due to the possibility of reproducing failure mechanisms in the laboratory, facilitating the perception of the water flow process, visualizing changes and effects generated by humidity, and monitoring rupture processes. Based on the range of possibilities for analyzing flow and failure phenomena that can be produced in a physical model, the objective of this Doctoral Thesis was to carry out an experimental analysis through the construction of a physical model of a 1g small-scale slope for the evaluation of failure indicator parameters during the simulation of superficial landslides, induced by artificial precipitation on a sandy slope under unsaturated conditions. For this, Experimental Equipment with the implementation of an artificial rain system was built to enable the physical modeling of the slope with the application of a monitoring system to monitor the hydraulic parameters during the experimental program. As a result, it was possible to identify fundamental principles for studying the infiltration phenomenon and behavior patterns even in different simulated scenarios.