The dynamics of a landslide

Authors

  • Marshall J. Leitman Case Western Reserve University Department of Mathematics
  • Piero Villaggio Università di Pisa Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1478/AAPP.91S1A11

Abstract

The onset of slip of a landslide may be mathematically modeled as the sudden detachment of a block of softer material initially bonded to the side of a mountain. Its subsequent motion is slowed by friction and by energy dissipation in the block due to its change of shape, which commences when the block reaches the bottom of the mountain. Since the bottom is a horizontal plane, the block will continue to slide along it until its kinetic energy is exhausted or it collides with an obstacle. A numerical example shows that the front of even a relatively small landslide can travel far from the base of the mountain.

Downloads

Published

2013-01-29

Issue

Vol 91, SUPPLEMENT NO 1 (2013): Advanced modelling in continuum mechanics

Section

Special issue in memory of Prof. Giovanni Crupi

License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).