Study on the continuous deformation and evolution characteristics of granular slopes along the Duku highway

This study focuses on granular slopes along the Duku Highway (G217) in Xinjiang, China, exploring the impact of continuous and periodic material supply on their developmental processes with the bedrock-cover interface dip angle and valley intersection angle as key variables. Through detailed field investigations integrated with DEM data, the NFR method was employed to identify critical conditions predisposing slopes to instability. Physical models were constructed and numerical simulations were performed to simulate the cyclic process of accumulation and instability in granular slopes. The results reveal that granular slopes exhibit a cyclical evolutionary pattern of ‘stable accumulation–instability and failure–renewed stable accumulation’ with increasing material supply. Slopes with a greater inclination demonstrate shorter and more unstable failure cycles. The disturbance rate reaches a peak under specific topographic parameters, exhibiting the most pronounced effects on the lower slope deformation induced by falling material. This research elucidates the environmental conditions conducive to granular slope development, offering valuable references for the prediction and mitigation of such geological hazards.