Insights into “medium term” borrow pit stability for slopes cut in high plastic clay
Bryce Marcotte, Adam Leik, Calvin Boese, David Elwood, Travis Pastachak, Brent McFarlane, Jason Bell
In the proceedings of: GeoSaskatoon 2023: 76th Canadian Geotechnical ConferenceSession: Geohazards 3
ABSTRACT: Temporary excavations in soft clay soils are prevalent across Canada to enable efficient construction and infrastructure placement. Vertical or near-vertical cuts can be safely made in low-hydraulic conductivity plastic soils in the short term; however, these steeper slopes may eventually slump due to stress changes and progressive yielding. This case study examines two slopes that slumped during winter (not operations) in a borrow pit. A preliminary finite element model and parametric study is used to estimate the time to failure for various slope geometries, considering the specific site characteristics. The paper aims to improve material and borrow geometry understanding for future excavations. This proactive approach enables better planning and management of similar borrow pits, ultimately enhancing excavation efficiency, long-term planning, and safety.
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Marcotte, Bryce, Leik, Adam, Boese, Calvin, Elwood, David, Pastachak, Travis, McFarlane, Brent, Bell, Jason (2023) Insights into “medium term” borrow pit stability for slopes cut in high plastic clay in GEO2023. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@inproceedings{Marcotte_GEO2023_50,
author = {{Marcotte, Bryce}, {Leik, Adam}, {Boese, Calvin}, {Elwood, David}, {Pastachak, Travis}, {McFarlane, Brent}, {Bell, Jason}}
title = {Insights into “medium term” borrow pit stability for slopes cut in high plastic clay }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }
title = {Insights into “medium term” borrow pit stability for slopes cut in high plastic clay }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }