The flooding of embankments used for rail and other infrastructure has the potential to cause lasting weakening of slopes via the movement of fine particles induced by seepage. In laboratory experiments, internal erosion was induced in granular soil samples, with properties consistent with those used to construct transportation embankments, to assess how particle migration through, and out of, samples caused shear wave velocity, strength, stiffness and permeability changes. Shear wave velocity changes, measured using horizontal bender elements, of up to 19 % were observed following fine particle removal of up to 1 % of initial sample mass. Shear wave velocity change was found to be an indicator for identifying the development of permeability change during seepage-induced particle migration. Median measured permeability changes were +5 % and −34 % for samples containing 15 % and 30 % fines, respectively. The largest directly observed permeability and shear wave velocity changes occurred during the initial stages of seepage. Negative correlation was observed between mass of material removed from samples and peak friction angle. Following seepage, soils displayed a dual stiffness behaviour. Stiffness and strength changes were attributed to redistribution of fine particles and opening of pore spaces. Our results have implications for the monitoring of earthworks affected by flooding and seepage as the associated redistribution of fine particles may lead to large changes in slope properties.

用于铁路和其他基础设施的路堤的洪水有可能通过渗漏引起的细颗粒的移动而导致斜坡持续弱化。在实验室实验中，在颗粒土壤样品中诱发内部侵蚀，其特性与建造交通路堤所用的特性一致，以评估颗粒迁移进出样品如何引起剪切波速度、强度、刚度和渗透性变化。使用水平弯曲元件测量，在去除高达 1% 的初始样品质量后，观察到高达 19% 的剪切波速度变化。发现剪切波速度变化是识别渗流引起的颗粒迁移过程中渗透率变化发展的指标。对于含有 15% 和 30% 细粉的样品，测得的中值渗透率变化分别为 +5% 和 -34%。直接观察到的最大渗透率和剪切波速变化发生在渗流的初始阶段。从样品中去除的材料质量与峰值摩擦角之间观察到负相关。渗漏后，土壤表现出双重刚度行为。刚度和强度的变化归因于细颗粒的重新分布和孔隙空间的打开。我们的结果对于监测受洪水和渗漏影响的土方工程具有重要意义，因为相关的细颗粒重新分布可能会导致斜坡特性发生巨大变化。