Heliyon (Mar 2024)
Experimental study of soil erosion on moraine-consolidated slopes under heavy rainfall
Abstract
Surface subsidence pits formed by mining disturbance are highly susceptible to slope instability under rainfall erosion, inducing underground debris flow disasters. To prevent and control underground debris flow disasters in a subsidence area, a test model of subsidence pit slope was established in accordance with the principle of similar simulation, and the erosion-resistant performance of moraine-cured slopes with different soil–slurry ratios and the law of runoff and sand production were investigated through the simulation of artificial rainfall and a simulation test of grouting. Results show that the initial rainfall production time increases exponentially with increasing soil-slurry ratio, while sediment production intensity decreases linearly with increasing rainfall duration. The evolution of soil erosion can be divided into five stages: impact infiltration, water-filled softening, stripping cutting, migration crossing, and steady flow equilibrium. Compared with in situ moraine, moraine particles after grouting between the generation of large amounts of Si–O–Si and Si–OH hydration products become loose and porous soil medium is transformed into a dense cemented structure. The soil-slurry ratio is 5:1, the sand-fixing effect increases by 28.8 times, the resistance of permeability increases by 11.3 times, and the grouting curing effect is remarkable. This study can provide technical support for the prevention and control of geological disasters in subsidence pits.