Run-Out of Landslides Caused by Excess Pore Water Pressure Along the Slip Surface

Traditional numerical methods such as the finite element method and the finite difference method are generally adopted to analyze the slope response in the pre-failure and failure stages under the assumption of small deformations. On the contrary, the post-failure phase is often ignored because large deformations generally occur in this phase and the above-mentioned methods are unsuitable to deal with such problems. Indeed, a prediction of the landslide kinematics after failure is useful to minimize the risk of catastrophic damages or to establish the most suitable measures for land protection. In the present study, the post-failure stage of landslides caused by an excess of pore water pressure along the sliding surface is analyzed using the material point method (MPM), which is a numerical technique capable to overcome the limitations of the traditional methods. In particular, the influence of some involved parameters on the run-out distance of the displaced material is investigated.