Static and dynamic analyses of Dahr El Baidar slope

Abstract

The slope of Dahr El Baidar located on the central mountain of Lebanon hosts a section of the Arab Highway that is under construction to connect Beirut to neighboring Arab countries. This slope has experienced several failures; yet most involved geotechnical companies have investigated the slope with classical geotechnical procedures. In this paper, the analysis of the slope is performed using an integrated geo-assessment approach to identify the principal causes of failure and understand its dynamic behavior. The study includes geological, geophysical and geotechnical soil characterization of the designated area. The geological analysis reveals the presence of faults in the vicinity, in addition to a layer of weak clay at the surface. The geotechnical investigation is based on the interpretation of several boreholes. Geophysical tests are performed using ambient noise vibration technique in order to reveal the resonant frequency and thickness of the soil deposit material. A correlation between geotechnical and geophysical tests was used to establish soil properties in the studies. The above data is used towards a better understanding of the cause and occurrence of the failing zone. A dynamic analysis is conducted to determine the slope amplification and compare the simulated frequencies with the measured ones.