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Slope stabilization in difficult conditions: The

case study of a debris slide in NW Italian Alps

Article in Landslides June 2013

DOI: 10.1007/s10346-013-0396-2

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Slope stabilization in difficult conditions:
the case study of a debris slide in NW
Italian Alps

Giovanni Barla, Francesco Antolini &

Marco Barla

Landslides
Journal of the International Consortium
on Landslides

ISSN 1612-510X

Landslides
DOI 10.1007/s10346-013-0396-2

1 23
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1 23
 Author's personal copy
Technical Note

Landslides Giovanni Barla I Francesco Antolini I Marco Barla

DOI 10.1007/s10346-013-0396-2
Received: 6 September 2011
Accepted: 12 March 2013 Slope stabilization in difficult conditions: the case study
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
of a debris slide in NW Italian Alps

Abstract A case study of a debris slide (estimated volume of about when carrying out landslide stabilization works in emergency
35,000 m3) is described in this paper. This slide occurred in April conditions are described in this paper. The SR25 road is the only
2009 in the North Western Italian Alps (Aosta valley) and dam- connection between the Valgrisenche valley and the Aosta valley.
aged the SR25 road along the Valgrisenche valley. Ground investi- Restoring the road was therefore required as matter of urgency.
gations started with severe safety and logistic issues being posed. Ground investigations, monitoring, and slope stabilization
Given the need to open as soon as possible the road, the design of works started concurrently with severe safety and logistic prob-
the landslide stabilization works was carried out using a design as lems being posed due to the landslide movements. As many of the
you go approach. The stabilization measures were conceived to geological and geotechnical features of the slope were not well
be flexible in order to allow for changes and integration during known in advance, the stabilization measures were designed to be
construction, in line with the progressive refinement of the geo- flexible for changes or integrations to be made during construc-
logicalgeotechnical slope model being developed. Back analysis tion by taking into account the progressive refinement of the
by means of the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the finite geologicalgeotechnical slope model being developed.
element method (FEM) was used. Groundwater level rise following The limit equilibrium method (LEM) and finite element meth-
heavy rainfall and spring snow melting was found to be the main od (FEM) were applied to investigate the slope failure mechanism
cause of the debris slide. The stabilization works were designed by and to test the effectiveness of different slope stabilization
using both the LEM and FEM methods. The stability conditions of schemes. The final stabilization works were carried out with a step
the engineered slope were assessed based on the available perfor- by step procedure and were designed in order to make the imple-
mance monitoring data. mentation of further refinement and adaptations possible.

Keywords Landslide . Back analysis . Limit equilibrium . Finite Landslide description

element method . Remedial measures . Valgrisenche During the 2009 spring season, following a period of prolonged
rainfalls, a debris slide with an approximate volume of 35,000 m3
Introduction occurred in the Valgrisenche valley, along the SR25 road (Fig. 1).
In Alpine areas characterized by high energy relief, slope instabil- The landslide was anticipated by a series of minor rock falls from
ity phenomena are particularly widespread and represent one of the rocky cliffs above the road occurred during March and April.
the main natural hazards threatening human activities and civil The failure extended from 1,220 to 1,310 m a.s.l. with a total length
infrastructures (Barla et al. 2010). These phenomena are responsi- of 120 m and a maximum width of 80 m and was located in a thick
ble each year for huge property damages with both direct and layer of colluvial and morainic deposits which are irregularly
indirect costs. Moreover, in the last few years, the severity of the present along the valley (Fig. 2a, b).
landslide problem continues to worsen due to changes in land use, These Quaternary coarse grained deposits (boulders, blocks,
increased urban development, deforestation, and changes of cli- pebbles, and gravels in silty/sandy matrix) lie unconformably and
matic patterns. discontinuously on the bedrock (Ruitor Unit) which consists of
In the framework of landslide hazard mitigation, attention pre-Permian (450480 Ma, Guillot et al. 2002) garnet micaschists
must be paid to the selection of appropriate and cost-effective and paragneisses with abundant interbedded metabasites (Bucher
landslide remedial measures. In particular, when slope instability et al. 2004). The crown zone was characterized by the absence of a
processes affect directly or indirectly roads or railways, the eco- clear scarp. The transition between the displaced mass and the
nomic consequences of severing a transport artery for even a short stable slope was marked by a network of sub-parallel tension
period of time can far outweigh the remedial costs. In this case, a cracks.
rapid repair of landslide damages is needed. This generally leads The overall slope angle before the landslide occurrence was
planners to operate in emergency conditions and to face with the between 35 and 40. Although the early evolution stages of the
difficulties of obtaining a rapid and complete landslide character- instability were not known, after the initial rock falls, the colluvial
ization. and talus deposits started to mobilize along the slope and gradu-
The intrinsic variability of landslides (i.e., size, type, material, ally overstepped the counterscarp wall alongside the SR25 road
water content, activity) and their dependency upon special local (Fig. 2c). The road was progressively overrun by soil and debris,
circumstances, including geological, geotechnical, tectonic, and leading the local authorities to close it to traffic. The counterscarp
groundwater conditions, implies the need to change and adapt wall alongside the road resisted to the slide, avoiding the propa-
progressively the stabilization measures to adopt, as the instability gation of the failure surface below the road level. The downslope
is better understood. propagation of the instability was further inhibited by the presence
Through the study of a debris slide (estimated volume of of an anchored wall which sustained the road (Fig. 2d).
about 35,000 m3), which occurred in April 2009 in the North During April 2009, the mean cumulated precipitation in the
Western Italian Alps (Aosta valley) and damaged the SR25 road Aosta valley reached 212 mm, with a major rainfall event occurred
along the Valgrisenche valley, the complexities which can arise between April 26th and April 28th, with 45 % of the 50 years mean
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Technical Note

Fig. 1 Valgrisenche landslide site

Fig. 2 a General view of the landslide (May 2009) from the opposite valley side. b View of the landslide (May 2009) from the crown area. c Detail of the counterscarp wall
partially overstepped by the landslide mass. d Details of the SR25 roadway and anchored wall

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monthly precipitation being recorded (Regione Autonoma Valle the beginning of June. At first, a change of the slope geom-
dAosta 2009a). The saturated soil conditions were enhanced by etry was carried out through the demolition of some critical
the rapid spring snowmelt that took place during March. It is unstable boulders and the creation of a system of ramps and
worth to note that the 20082009 winter season was characterized berms along the slope. To allow the road to be partially
by very intense snowfalls across the whole Western Italian Alps opened to traffic, a provisional embankment acting as a bar-
and in particular along the Valgrisenche valley, where a cumulated rier, wire-rope rock catch fences, and a rock catch ditch were
snow height of 590 cm was recorded (Regione Autonoma Valle built just above the retaining wall alongside the road.
dAosta 2009b). However, following a severe rainfall which occurred at the
The stabilization works, required as a matter of urgency, end of May 2009, a further rotational slope failure took place
started in May 2009, with the road kept closed to traffic up to on the lower berm.

Fig. 3 Geological map showing the in situ investigations and monitoring system. Topographic base extracted from Regional Technical Map 1:10,000, integrated with a
detailed landslide topographic survey

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Technical Note
In situ investigations and monitoring data seismic wave velocities. On the eastern landslide flank, the
In situ investigations were carried out in order to define the contact between the two units rises toward the ground surface
geological and geotechnical conditions along the slope. and the thickness of the colluvial and morainic deposits
Monitoring of surface movements, displacements at depth, and decreases.
groundwater levels was also performed.
Displacement monitoring data
Following the first signs of slope instability, during April 2009,
Direct and indirect in situ investigations slope movements were monitored on eight benchmarks by weekly
As shown in Fig. 3, the direct investigations consisted of four GPS surveys (Fig. 5). Three benchmarks (GPS3, GPS4, and GPS6)
boreholes, continuously cored to a maximum depth of 46 m and were located in the basal slope sector, close to the counterscarp
equipped with four inclinometer tubes (I1, I2, I3, and I4), together road walls, three (GPS1, GPS2, and GPS5) in the middle slope
with three standpipe piezometers (PZ1, PZ2, and PZ3). Indirect sector and two (GPS7 and GPS8) on the landslide crown zone.
investigations comprised a seismic refraction survey along four The monitoring data (Fig. 5) showed that the larger downslope
alignments (total length of 480 m). movements occurred in the middle slope sector with a maximum
The boreholes drilling showed the presence of a thick cumulated displacement of 3.91 m being recorded on benchmarks
colluvium, consisting of a poorly sorted mixture of matrix- GPS2 after 32 days. The slope movements progressively decreased
supported angular boulders, blocks, cobbles, and gravel in a toward both the eastern landslide flank, where the GPS6 bench-
fine-grained matrix material (silt and sand). This layer can be mark recorded a cumulated displacement of 1.26 m in 32 days and
referred to undifferentiated Holocenic colluvial and morainic to a larger extent toward the landslide crown where the GPS7 and
deposits which lie on the gneissic bedrock of the Ruitor Unit. GPS8 benchmarks showed a cumulated displacement of 0.25 and
The thickness increased from the landslide crown (16.5 m in 0.23 m, respectively.
the S1 borehole) to its middle sectors (30 m in the S2 bore- This is in good agreement with the development of a
hole), decreasing again toward the landslide toe (23 m in the transition zone between the stable ground and the landslide
S4 borehole). mass along the crown zone without the generation of a clear
The geophysical investigations allowed the splitting of the scarp. The rate of displacement recorded during the 32 moni-
colluvial and morainic layer into three units characterized by toring days showed acceleration and deceleration phases
a progressive increase of the shear wave velocity versus depth connected to rainfall periods. In particular the most important
as illustrated in Fig. 4. Moreover the seismic profiles acceleration phase was recorded between April 24th and April
highlighted that the contact between the bedrock and the 30th during an intense rainfall event (up to 100 mm in 2 days).
deposits is characterized by a pronounced difference of the All GPS benchmarks showed a clear displacement acceleration,

Fig. 4 Results of the seismic refraction survey on the landslide

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Fig. 5 Results of GPS monitoring. The vectors show the cumulated planimetric displacement measured on the benchmarks. The numbers indicate the date of GPS
measurement (1 02/04/2009, 2 06/04/2009, 7 04/05/2009)

with a maximum velocity measured on the GPS2 and GPS5 sliding surface at 16.0 (I1), 8.0 (I2), and 4.0 m (I4) below
benchmarks equal to 210 mm/day. From the beginning of ground level as depicted in Fig. 6. The sliding surface is shown
May 2009 the GPS monitoring was interrupted. to progressively decrease in depth from the landslide crown to
With the boreholes drilling activities completed, as already the landslide toe and it remains confined above the
mentioned above, four inclinometer tubes (I1, I2, I3, and I4) counterscarp retaining wall (the I3 inclinometer did not show
were installed respectively in the upper, medium and basal any movement). This was confirmed by field observations and
landslide sectors. Since the boreholes were completed in differ- by the absence of damages in the anchored wall below the
ent times, spanning from the end of May (I1, I2, and I3) to July roadway.
2009 (I4), the reference measurements of each inclinometer The cumulated displacements (2080 mm) recorded at the
vary accordingly. Three inclinometers highlighted a well-defined head of the three inclinometer holes I1, I2, and I4 from June to

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Technical Note

Fig. 6 Geologicalgeotechnical model of the landslide (cross section)

November 2009 were sensibly smaller than the surface displace- 2009), a general decrease of the groundwater level was recorded in
ments (up to 3.9 m) measured along the slope in April by the GPS all the boreholes.
monitoring. These differences can be explained with the changes in The piezometer level tended to stabilize at a depth between
the slope geometry during May 2009 (before the installation of the 25 and 26 m, along the contact between the bedrock and the
inclinometer tubes), due to the removal of a large amount of unsta- detritic cover. Only the groundwater level in I1 showed an extend-
ble material, the construction of a provisional embankment along ed lowering phase with minor raising peaks related to rainfall
the road, and the progressive reduction of rainfalls. Hence, starting events (Fig. 7). The general groundwater lowering was shown to
on June 2009, the slope experienced a progressive stabilization with a be related to the reduced amount of precipitation and the snow
decrease of displacement both at the surface and at depth. melting completion during the summer.
It has been inferred that the main groundwater flow is in the
fractured rock mass of the Ruitor Unit. Following heavy rainfall Back analyses
(especially in the spring season), the groundwater level could under- Back analyses were carried out with the main objective to deter-
go a sudden rise up of several meters, thus saturating the debris mine the shear strength parameters mobilized along the sliding
cover. This probably started in the middle slope portion, also surfaces identified in the field. The advantages of the combined
through a direct seepage along the contact between the rock mass use of LEM and FEM lie in coupling the simplicity of LEM with the
and the debris, thus triggering the instability. completeness related to slope geometry, ground non-linear behav-
ior, in situ stresses that can be considered with FEM.
Groundwater data
The groundwater levels were monitored from the end of May to
December 2009 in the piezometer holes PZ1, PZ2, and PZ3. Limit equilibrium method (LEM)
Additionally, data on the groundwater level have also been The LEM method was applied by using the Slide computer code
obtained with measurements in the inclinometer tubes I1, I2, I3, (Rocscience 2009a). A first analysis was performed in order to
and I4 (Fig.7). The monitored groundwater levels in PZ3 were determine the shear strength parameters of the superficial
recognised not to be reliable and therefore were excluded from colluvial layer considering the rotational slide occurred in
the subsequent analysis. After the first month of monitoring (June the lower berm (Fig. 8). The geometry of the sliding surface

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Fig. 7 Groundwater monitoring results and cumulated daily rainfall. I1, I2, and I4 indicate water level measured in inclinometric tubes while PZ1 and PZ2 indicate water
level measured in standpipe piezometers. The gray box indicates the time-span for the installation of the drainage system on the slope

Fig. 8 LEM back analysis results. The colored windows in the image show the variation of the factor of safety for different potential slip surfaces

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Technical Note

Fig. 9 FEM model (a) and back analysis results in terms of maximum shear strain distribution (b)

was chosen on the basis of field observations and the results slope. This sliding surface involves the deeper portion of the colluvial
of the inclinometer measurements. layer (Fig. 8). By repeating the analysis, the friction angle was
The groundwater level was increased by 4 meters to take into
account the effect of the rainfalls on the landslide body. Zero cohe- Table 1 Deformability parameters adopted in the numerical analysis
sion was assumed, which appears to be a suitable condition for the Geotechnical units E [MPa]
analysis of reactivated landslides and pre-existing sliding surfaces
(Hutchinson 1969), while the friction angle along the same sliding Colluvial deposit (superficial) 500 0.3
surface was computed to be equal to 27. Colluvial deposit (deep) 1,400 0.3
A further analysis was carried out on the rotational slide iden- Bedrock 5,500 0.3
tified with the inclinometer measurements in the upper sector of the

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Table 2 Strength parameters of the materials adopted in the numerical analysis level which was not in line with the displacement pattern observed
Geotechnical units c [MPa] [] in the field. In order to overcome this problem, the same param-
eters were changed by increasing the cohesion c and keeping the
Superficial colluvial deposit 10 27
friction angle constant as shown in Table 2. The results of the
Deep colluvial deposit 50 31 updated numerical analyses in terms of the maximum shear strain
Superficial colluvial deposit below road 50 27 are illustrated in Fig. 9b. According to the FEM results, the factor
level of safety of the slope computed through the SSRM is equal to 0.97.
Deep colluvial deposit below road level 100 31
Validation of the landslide model
UCS [MPa] GSI In order to validate the geologicalgeotechnical landslide model
Bedrock (Ruitor Unit) 75 70 used in the previous analyses, a further LEM analysis of the slope
was performed. With reference to the original slope profile
obtained through a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the area
computed to be equal to 31, using the previously determined pa- with a 1010 cell size, the shear strength parameters used for the
rameters for the superficial colluvial deposits. bedrock and the colluvial deposits are listed in Table 2.
The results obtained (Fig. 10a) show that with low groundwa-
Finite element method (FEM) ter level (stabilized along the contact between the bedrock and the
A FEM model of the slope was created by using the Phase2 colluvial deposits), the most critical sliding surface (Fs01.01) is
computer code (Rocscience 2009b), which allows the slope factor extended from the road retaining wall to the middle-upper portion
of safety to be computed based on the Shear Strength Reduction of the slope and is entirely inside the superficial colluvial deposits.
Method (SSRM) and the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion Further surfaces with similar geometry and safety factor ranging
(Zienkiewicz et al. 1975). The boundary conditions of the model between 1.01 and 1.20 developed in the same slope sectors.
and the FEM mesh adopted are shown in Fig. 9a. Gravity loading The groundwater level was subsequently increased in or-
and plane strain conditions (with the in situ stress ratio k00.43 der to simulate the most likely conditions after the spring
being assumed) were applied. snow melting and the prolonged rainfalls. As shown in
The deformability parameters of the colluvial deposits and the Fig. 10b, a complete saturation of the deep colluvial deposits
bedrock were determined on the basis of the seismic investigation was assumed, while the groundwater level in the upper slope
results (Table 1) by using the correlation equations due to Barton sector resulted from the observation of direct seepage from
(1996). The HoekBrown and MohrCoulomb failure criteria were the rock mass towards the colluvium. The available piezome-
adopted for the bedrock and for the colluvial deposits, respective- ter data were of limited value since they recorded the ground-
ly. In both cases, an elastic perfectly plastic non associated consti- water levels only a month past the landslide occurrence.
tutive law was assumed. The analysis shows the onset of the instability to take
Preliminary analyses showed that the shear strength parame- place along a circular surface (Fs<1) extending from the road
ters determined with LEM generated the instability along the retaining wall to the middle-upper portion of the slope. It is
sliding surfaces previously identified. These analyses also showed of interest to note that the most critical surface with a safety
the development of a yield zone at the slope toe below the road factor equal to 0.91 is similar to the main sliding surface of

Fig. 10 Results of the LEM analysis considering the original slope geometry. a Low measured groundwater level, surfaces with Fs lower than 1.2. b Highest inferred
groundwater level, surfaces with Fs lower than 1.0

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Technical Note

Fig. 11 Slope in November 2009, with the stabilization works completed

Fig. 12 Schematic cross section of the double wall solution adopted along the SR25 road

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the landslide. The maximum thickness of the mobilized ma- local authorities to open as soon as possible the SR25 road
terial (about 10 m) agrees with field observations proving the with an acceptable level of safety. With these constraints being
validity of the geological-geotechnical model developed. posed, the stabilization works were defined step by step, with
a work in progress procedure and intentionally subjected to
Stabilization works and design analyses possible refinements and adaptations. In all cases the final
The design and implementation of the stabilization works objective was to make the area subjected to the landslide
were significantly dependent on the priority posed by the stable in the long term.

Fig. 13 Design analysis results: LEM (a) and FEM (b) stability analyses

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Technical Note
The following main stabilization works were carried out Therefore additional stabilization measures were considered:
(Fig. 11):
& Installation of fully grouted, 20 mm diameter rock dowels, 9 m
& Installation of a suitable drainage system consisting of sub- long, with a 33 m spacing pattern;
horizontal drainage pipes, with 2 m spacing, installed along the & Installation of an additional set of 40 mm diameter passive
three berms created during the regrading works. The length of steel bars, 2 m spaced, 15 m long along the row C anchors;
the pipes was chosen to reach the contact between the bedrock & Installation of rock catch fences and rock fall net system (not
and the detritic cover (2030 m); considered in the stability analyses).
& Construction of a double wall acting as a passive retaining
structure along the road. The pre-existing counterscarp The improved stability conditions achieved with the LEM
retaining wall was repaired, extended, and reinforced with approach are shown in Fig. 13a and the corresponding FEM results
a set of 40 mm diameter passive steel bars, 2 m spaced are depicted in Fig. 13b. With the additional stabilization measures,
and 15 m long. A new micropile-founded retaining wall FEM analyses indicate a factor of safety equal to 1.32, without the
reinforced with 40 mm diameter, 15-m-long passive steel presence of the superficial sliding surfaces. In addition, it is inter-
bars was built. The schematic cross-section of the double esting to note that the downslope displacements were reduced
wall solution is shown in Fig. 12. Although simple in (one order of magnitude) and the loads acting on the retaining/
concept, the retaining wall was logistically complex and reinforcement structures decreased significantly.
construction phases had to be sequenced with considerable
care and attention to details; Performance monitoring following stabilization works
& Installation of 56 four-strand anchors with double corrosion With the most important stabilization works completed as shown
protection along three rows (A, B, and C in Fig. 11). The in Fig. 11, which illustrates the slope in November 2009, the traffic
anchors were up to 35 m long, inclined 15 to 20 downwards, along the SR25 road could take place with no further restrictions.
with a 2.5-m spacing. The anchors had a working capacity of Ten of the ground anchors were equipped with load cells housed
600 kN. The final lock-off loads for the anchors were 200 kN in within the anchor heads. Load cells readings have been collected at
rows A and C and 230 kN in Row B. Along each row, the anchor irregular intervals after the completion of the stabilization works.
heads were tied to a reinforced concrete walls. The slope The monitoring results are of interest in order to check the slope
geometry and the presence of boulders forced to adopt dis- response. The results of monitoring, updated to March 2012, are
continuous wall stretches in spite of a single continuous wall shown in Fig. 14. It is noted that, following a load decrease, the
for each row. anchors exhibit different patterns of behavior.
The anchors of the western end (T7A) exhibit a load steady
The design of the stabilization works was carried out by value or a slight decrease while the central and eastern anchors
making effective use of both the LEM and FEM methods as a display a substantial load increase of nearly 135 kN between
follow-up of the back analysis studies described above. The slope November 2009 and March 2012. Also the central row B shows a
geometry was modified according to the final profile. The factors load increase, which is more pronounced for the anchors of the
of safety along the sliding surfaces were again computed and the eastern sector (T10B, T15B). The load pattern for the row C an-
overall stability conditions of the slope significantly improved. The chors is indeed different from the previous ones: after a slight
factors of safety increased from Fs01.00 and 1.04 to Fs02.01 and relaxation, the anchors show steady load values (T16C) or a very
2.54, respectively, according to the LEM calculations for the two slight load increase (T9C, T11C). It is of interest to note that the
sliding surfaces considered. These stability analyses showed how- most significant load increase for all the ground anchors takes
ever the presence of some superficial sliding surfaces. place during the spring (MarchJune).

Fig. 14 Plots of load cell monitoring results

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Groundwater monitoring could take place until the end of for the initial slope stabilization design. The paper is the result of a
2009, giving only limited information about the water regime consulting engineering contract between the Valle dAosta Region
within the slope following the stabilization works. Similarly no Authority and the Politecnico di Torino, Department of Structural
inclinometer data were available. It is noteworthy that following and Geotechnical Engineering, under the responsibility of Prof.
the installation of the sub-horizontal drains in the slope, a consis- Giovanni Barla.
tent piezometer lowering (6 m) was observed in the upper slope
sector (I1 inclinometer tube, Fig. 7).

Concluding remarks
References
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The interest of the work presented stems from the special Regione Autonoma Valle dAosta (2009a) Bollettino idrologico - Mese di Maggio 2009.
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performed and the monitoring data being collected at the same 2009. Direzione assetto idrogeologico dei bacini montani - Ufficio neve e valanghe -
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plasticity and plasticity in soil mechanics. Geotechnique 25(4):671689
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Regione Autonoma Valle dAosta
Department Difesa del Suolo e Risorse Idriche (Dr. Geol. Valerio G. Barla . F. Antolini ()) . M. Barla
Department of Structural, Building and Geotechnical Engineering,
Segor, Dr. Geol. Massimo Broccolato, Dr. Geol Davide Bertolo, and Politecnico di Torino,
Dr. Fabio Brunier) for the information provided and Dr. Ing. Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy
Marco Fiou and Dr. Ing. Roberto Roveyaz who are responsible e-mail: francesco.antolini@polito.it

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