Analysis of the influence of soil moisture on the stability of a building based on a slope

The article presents a problem of building foundation on a slope. The authors focused on a building located in northern Slovakia. The building is characteristic of building development found in highlander areas and is in bad technical condition. It has a number of deficiencies in terms of structural solutions, and it lacks proper waterproofing facilities. The visual assessment of the building indicates that it was damaged in effect of the loss of stability of the slope on which it was founded. The state of the building in that condition is attached to the photo documentation. The authors attempted to analyze the reasons for its current state. The task was not easy because there were no available documented records of soil tests nor any technical documentation of the analyzed building. Therefore, it was assumed that the slope structure was made of typical cohesive soil with a significant content of stony fraction, occurring in mountainous areas. In the research, computer-aided numerical analyses were performed, using acknowledged computer software. The article analyses the impact of soil moisture on the change of its mechanical parameters, especially the value of the angle of internal friction. A significant dependence of slope stability factor on the angle of internal friction in the analyzed soil was found. The cases described in the article involving the change of the angle of friction indicated the danger of stability loss of the slope on which the analyzed building is founded. Yet, due to the fact that the discussed building is intended for demolition, the concept of building repairs and possible strengthening of the subsoil was abandoned.