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Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control
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Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2025 | Viewed by 2425

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaoshuang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Urban Construction, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: landslides; rock mechanics; open-pit to underground mining; numerical analysis; physical modelling; mechanical theory; rainfall–mining coupling
Prof. Dr. Chun Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: rock mechanics; slope engineering; disaster warning; tunnel supporting; numerical simulations; stability evaluations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qihang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disasters Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: landslides; slope stability; numerical models; similar physical experiments; machine learning; energy analysis; image recognition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Landslide disasters are a common type of geological disaster worldwide, often posing a serious threat to mining safety as well as to human life and property. Slope structures are prone to landslide geological disasters due to external disturbances (rainfall, earthquakes, freeze–thaw cycles, weathering, etc.). In-depth investigations of geotechnical technology and the geotechnical structure modeling of landslides has important theoretical significance and engineering application value for predicting landslide disasters and reducing risks. Accurately and effectively predicting and controlling the occurrence of such disasters is extremely important. In recent years, the theory of landslide dynamics has gradually matured. Combined with rapid developments in numerical simulation techniques (FEM and DEM), significant achievements have been made in geotechnical technology and the modeling of geotechnical structures related to land-slides.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide original research and review papers on the causes and mechanisms of landslide hazards, relevant advanced geotechnical techniques, and geotechnical structure modeling to comprehensively predict landslide hazards and minimize disaster risks to the greatest extent possible. Researchers and engineers are encouraged to share their research findings on advanced geotechnical techniques, numerical modeling methods, and monitoring and early warning systems, as well as disaster prevention strategies for landslides.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel modeling of geostructures;
  • Recent progress in landslide dynamics;
  • Advanced geotechnical support theories for slopes;
  • Laboratory testing methods for geotechnical properties associated with landslides;
  • Stability analyses and evaluations of mine slopes under complex conditions;
  • Numerical simulations of mine slope stability under multi-field coupling;
  • Machine learning algorithms for predicting landslide disasters;
  • Investigation and theoretical analyses of the failure mechanisms of landslides;
  • Comprehensive assessments the of risks and hazards associated with landslides;
  • Policies and measures to mitigate landslide hazards.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoshuang Li
Prof. Dr. Chun Zhu
Dr. Qihang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • landslides
  • slope stability
  • geotechnical theory
  • physical experiment
  • numerical modeling
  • machine learning
  • fail-ure mechanisms
  • monitoring and early warning
  • rock bolting

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 16743 KiB  
Article
Model Test and Numerical Analysis of Landslides in Layered Ion-Type Rare Earth Ore Under Rainfall and Mineral Leaching Conditions
by Zhongqun Guo, Yanshuo Liu, Qiqi Liu, Manqiu Zhong and Qiangqiang Liu
Water 2025, 17(10), 1469; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17101469 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 202
Abstract
The South China region is characterized by diverse landforms and significant stratification of geological materials. The rock and soil layers in this area have obvious layering characteristics. The stability of layered slopes is a critical issue in the safe mining of southern ion-type [...] Read more.
The South China region is characterized by diverse landforms and significant stratification of geological materials. The rock and soil layers in this area have obvious layering characteristics. The stability of layered slopes is a critical issue in the safe mining of southern ion-type rare earth ores. This study investigates the morphological changes, pore water pressure, and moisture content variation of layered ion-type rare earth ore slopes under the combined effects of rainfall and liquid infiltration through indoor model tests. A numerical simulation was conducted to analyze the variations in pore water pressure, moisture content, slope displacement, and safety factor under different working conditions. As rainfall intensity increases, the interface between soil layers in sandy–silty clay slopes is more likely to form a saturated water retention zone, causing rapid pore water pressure buildup and a significant reduction in shear strength. For the silty–sand clay slopes, the low permeability of the upper silty clay layer limits the infiltration rate of water, resulting in significant interlayer water retention effects, which induce softening and an increased instability risk. The higher the initial moisture content, the longer the infiltration time, which reduces the matrix suction of the soil and significantly weakens the shear strength of the slope. When the initial moisture content and rainfall intensity are the same, the safety factor of the silty–sand clay slope is higher than that of the sandy–silty clay slope. When rainfall intensity increases from 10 mm/h to 30 mm/h, the safety factor of the sandy–silty clay slope decreases from 1.30 to 1.15, indicating that the slope is approaching a critical instability state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control)
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16 pages, 4171 KiB  
Article
Study on the Impact of Seepage Filtration Under Wet–Dry Cycles on the Stability of Mudstone Limestone Slopes
by Rui Li, Puyi Wang, Xiang Lu, Wei Zhou, Yihan Guo, Rongbo Lei, Zixiong Zhao, Ziyu Liu and Yu Tian
Water 2025, 17(4), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17040592 - 18 Feb 2025
Viewed by 517
Abstract
Open-pit mining often exposes weak rock layers, the strength of which significantly affects the stability of slopes. If these rock layers are also prone to disintegration and expansion, cyclic rainfall can exacerbate instability. Rainfall-induced changes in the seepage field also indirectly threaten the [...] Read more.
Open-pit mining often exposes weak rock layers, the strength of which significantly affects the stability of slopes. If these rock layers are also prone to disintegration and expansion, cyclic rainfall can exacerbate instability. Rainfall-induced changes in the seepage field also indirectly threaten the stability of slopes. Therefore, investigating the characteristics of mudstone limestone and the impact of the seepage field on slope instability under different wet–dry cycles is of great significance for the safe mining of open-pit mines. This paper takes the mudstone limestone slope of a certain open-pit mine in the southwest as the starting point and conducts experiments on saturated density, water absorption rate, permeability coefficient, compressive strength, and variable angle shear strength. Combined with scanning electron microscopy and phase analysis of X-ray diffraction analysis, the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the samples are comprehensively analyzed. FLAC3D software is used to explore the changes in the seepage field and the mechanism of instability. Our research found that for the preparation of mudstone limestone samples, a particle size of less than 1 mm and a drying temperature of 50 °C are optimal, with specific values for initial natural and saturated density, and natural water content. As the number of wet–dry cycles increases, the saturated density of mudstone limestone increases; the water absorption rate first rises sharply and then rises slowly; the permeability coefficient first rises sharply and then stabilizes, finally dropping sharply; the compressive and shear strength decreases slowly, and the internal friction angle changes little; frequent cycles also lead to mudification and seepage filtration. At the microscopic level, pores become larger and more regular, and the distribution is more concentrated; changes in mineral content weaken the strength. Combined with numerical simulation, the changes in the seepage field at the bottom of the slope exceed those at the slope surface and top, the transient saturated area expands, and the overall and local slope stability coefficients gradually decrease. During the third cycle, the local stability is lower than the overall stability, and the landslide trend shifts. In conclusion, wet–dry cycles change the pores and mineral content, affecting the physical and mechanical properties, leading to the deterioration of the transient saturated area, a decrease in matrix suction, and an increase in surface gravity, eventually causing slope instability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control)
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21 pages, 5592 KiB  
Article
Study on Shear Creep Characteristics of Carbonaceous Mud Shale at Different Moisture Contents Under Temperature Cycling
by Fei Xue, Bin Hu, Zhuoxi Zhong, Hongjun Zhang and Haiying Li
Water 2025, 17(4), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17040567 - 15 Feb 2025
Viewed by 533
Abstract
Mine slope landslides can lead to significant geological disasters. To investigate the impact of temperature cycling on the internal mechanisms that trigger these disasters in weak interlayers with varying moisture contents, a THMC-B multi-field coupled simulation device was employed to conduct shear creep [...] Read more.
Mine slope landslides can lead to significant geological disasters. To investigate the impact of temperature cycling on the internal mechanisms that trigger these disasters in weak interlayers with varying moisture contents, a THMC-B multi-field coupled simulation device was employed to conduct shear creep tests on carbonaceous mud shale with varying moisture contents across 16 temperature cycles (ranging from −5 °C to 65 °C). Based on the observed creep characteristics and related patterns, a rheological constitutive model for carbonaceous mud shale was established to characterize the damage effects at different moisture contents during temperature cycling. The experimental results indicate the following: under temperature cycling conditions, an increase in moisture content rapidly reduces the mechanical properties of carbonaceous mud shale, rendering it more susceptible to shearing at the same failure stress level and consequently shortening the overall creep time; higher moisture content prolongs the duration of the deceleration creep stage in carbonaceous mud shale; and the improved constitutive model accurately represents the entire shear creep process of carbonaceous mud shale, with fitting coefficients exceeding 0.95. These research findings can provide certain references and insights for the study of shear creep characteristics of weak interlayers in mine slopes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control)
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16 pages, 6923 KiB  
Article
Study on the Erosion Damage Law in Mountain Flood Disasters Regarding the Exposed Section of Oil Pipelines
by Xiaofei Jing, Jingxin Mao, Jian Ou, Xiaohua Liu, Yuanzhen Zhang and Dongsong Chen
Water 2025, 17(3), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17030448 - 5 Feb 2025
Viewed by 790
Abstract
Oil pipelines are susceptible to significant hydraulic erosion from mountain torrents during the flood season when passing through the mountain valley area, which can lead to soil erosion on the pipe surface and expose the pipeline. Accordingly, this study centers on investigating the [...] Read more.
Oil pipelines are susceptible to significant hydraulic erosion from mountain torrents during the flood season when passing through the mountain valley area, which can lead to soil erosion on the pipe surface and expose the pipeline. Accordingly, this study centers on investigating the critical issue of the failure mechanism caused by flash flood erosion in the exposed section of oil pipelines. Both indoor testing and numerical simulation research methods are employed to analyze the flow field distribution characteristics of flash floods in proximity to an exposed pipeline. This study explores the patterns of soil loss around pipelines of varying pipe diameters, levels of exposure, and pipe flow angles. In addition, the spatial and temporal evolution mechanism of pipelines overhang development under the action of flash floods was elucidated. The experimental observations indicate that as the pipe diameter increases, the failure rate of the soil surrounding the pipe accelerates, while the erosion effect on the soil around the executives becomes more pronounced. Additionally, a larger pipe flow angle leads to a reduced soil loss in the downstream direction of the pipe. During flash flood events, the scouring action on the soil surrounding the pipe leads to rapid compression of the flow field around the pipe, while the vortex at the pipe’s bottom exacerbates soil corrosion. Additionally, the maximum pressure exerted on pipeline surfaces at pipeline flow angles of 30°, 60°, and 90° is 14,382 Pa, 16,146 Pa, and 17,974 Pa, respectively. The research results offer valuable insights into pipeline, soil, and water conservation projects in mountain valley regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geotechnic and Geostructure Modelling for Landslides: Prediction and Control)
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