Stabilization of earth slopes with micro piles : A case study on highway No. 1009 Chomthong - Doi Inthanon Chomthong District, Chiang Mai

Abstract

Many highways in mountainous areas, particularly the Northern region of Thailand, inevitably confront the problems of excessive movement and slope failure. Therefore, slope stability analysisincluding highway design, construction and maintenance area are very important. Detailed surface topography is important when analyzing the stability of slopes. Recent advances in new technologies have allowed us to obtain high-precision profiles of slope information for three-dimensional (3D) slope stability analysis. This research presents a slope reinforced by micro piles of highway No. 1009 Chom Thong - Doi Inthanon, between km 19 + 585.00 - 19 + 750.00, Chiang Mai Province. A comprehensive approach that integrates Global Positioning System (GPS) and 3D finite element method for slope stability analysis. The soil behavior and soil movement were investigated. The modelling results show that the surface sampling resolution can affect the prediction accuracy of the potential failure zones. The reinforced slope showed an increase in safety factor. The numerical modeling was capable to reproduce satisfactorily the horizontal displacements of slope reinforced by micro piles.