Performance of granular shear keys for landslide remediation

Hugh Gillen, C. Derek Martin, Michael T. Hendry

In the proceedings of: GeoOttawa 2017: 70th Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 12th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Geohazards IV / Transportation Geotechnics I

ABSTRACT: Canadian transportation industries have been using granular shear keys to remediate slope instabilities for decades. Engineers have used limit equilibrium (LE) analyses as the standard method for designing these granular shear keys. These LE analyses do not account for the strain required to mobilize the shear resistance in the granular backfill. Finite element methods can model deformation but require calibration and may not always be practical. A review of the design and corresponding performance of granular shear keys based on extensive empirical data could complement current design methods and enhance design effectiveness and reliability. This paper presents the results of a review of 38 case histories, which involve either conventional trenched granular shear keys or rockfill column shear keys. The purpose of this compilation was to identify empirical relationships between shear key design and deformation.

RÉSUMÉ: Industries de transportation Canadiennes ont utilisé des clés de cisaillement granulaires pour corriger des instabilités de standard pour la conception de ces clés de cisaillement. Ces analyses ne tiennent pas compte de la déformation requise pour mobiliser la ont vent être pas pratique. Une revue de la conception et de la performance correspondante des clés de cisaillement granulaires fondée sur des données empiriques pourrait être complémentaire aux méthodes de la conception et la fiabilité. Cet article présente une revue de 38 études de cas qui impliquent des clés de cisaillement tranchées ou de colonnes en enrochementsla conception et la déformation des clés de cisaillement.

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