Integral analysis of geoelectrical (resistivity) and geotechnical (SPT) data in slope stability assessment

Geoelectrical survey and the geotechnical SPT (N value) method were used to investigate the stability of a slope together with the influence of heterogeneous geomaterials in wet tropical region. The integration of these different field methods provides an opportunity to understand some relationship...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zainal Abidin, Mohd Hazreek, Saad, Rosli, Fauziah, Ahmad, Wijeyesekera, Chitral, Tajul Baharuddin, Mohamad Faizal
Format: Article
Published: UniversityPublications.net 2012
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Online Access:http://www.universitypublications.net/ajs/index.html
http://www.universitypublications.net/ajs/index.html
http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/3962/1/SNG198.pdf
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Summary:Geoelectrical survey and the geotechnical SPT (N value) method were used to investigate the stability of a slope together with the influence of heterogeneous geomaterials in wet tropical region. The integration of these different field methods provides an opportunity to understand some relationship regarding the subsurface ground stiffness status through a combination of geophysical and geotechnical analysis. The analysis shows that the zone with high resistivity value generally have high N value, which stand for high stiffness and vice versa. However, some zones with low resistivity value are not accompanied by a decrease of its N value and sometimes even showing a higher N value. These contradictions show that one should be careful to directly correlate resistivity value with the actual status of the heterogeneous subsurface geomaterials. A low resistivity zone may be weak status due to a result of water conductivity or/and heterogeneous geomaterials condition. Additional physical geological mapping and laboratory test shows that the complexity of the subsurface profile in terms of geomaterials, geological structure and water seepage influence the contra zone, thus resulting for some inconsistency of resistivity value. The actual position of geoelectrical spread line and borehole drilling point conducted are also contributing a significant opposition findings. Therefore, multiple integration explorations should be planned to reduce the uncertainty in application of geophysical methods to slope instability assessment in order to compensate the resistivity finding of subsurface heterogeneous geomaterials.