Infiltration Behavior of Hydrophobically Treated Slopes Under Extreme Rainfall
Infiltration Behavior of Hydrophobically Treated Slopes Under Extreme Rainfall
As global warming accelerates, extreme rainfall events exceeding 50 mm/h have become more frequent, increasing the risk of rainfall-induced slope failures. Rapid infiltration during such events generates excessive pore water pressure, potentially leading to slope collapse. To mitigate this risk, hydrophobic soil treatment method has been proposed to reduce rainfall infiltration into slopes; however, experimental evaluations under extreme rainfall conditions remain limited. In this study, centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the infiltration behavior of hydrophobically treated slopes under extreme rainfall. A high-intensity rainfall simulator was developed and integrated into the centrifuge system, and the effects of rainfall duration and hydrophobic layer thickness on infiltration behavior were examined. The results show that hydrophobic treatment effectively reduces rainfall infiltration and suppresses pore water pressure development, thereby enhancing slope protection performance. These findings support the applicability of hydrophobic soil treatment as a countermeasure against rainfall-induced slope failures under changing climate conditions.
Seongmin Yun; Byeongsu Kim; Seong-Wan Park; J. H. Hwang; Jae-Hyun Kim
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 8: Nature-based solution for sustainable geotechnical systems
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-78