An analytical solution to slip buckling slope failure triggered by earthquake

Abstract

Slip buckling failure often occurs in slopes intersected by a set of discontinuities with approximately parallel to the surface. Post-earthquake investigations indicate that some slip buckling failures occurred during 2008 Wenchuan event. However, it is still difficult to evaluate the slip buckling failure triggered by earthquakes. In this paper, we give a thorough mechanical analysis to slip buckling slope, and present an analytical solution on slip buckling slope failure which fully considers both the effect of earthquake and pore water pressure based on energy equilibrium theory. Then we apply the methodology to Tangjiashan landslide. Comprehensive retrospective study indicates that Tangjiashan landslide is a typical buckling failure case triggered by Wenchuan earthquake. The application shows that the analytical solution can be used to evaluate the stability of the slope with potential buckling failure during earthquake.

Landslide Event on 24 June in Sichuan Province, China: Preliminary Investigation and Analysis

“…Landslides can be triggered by factors such as rainfall [12][13][14][15], earthquakes [16][17][18][19], and urban construction activities. Landslides cause catastrophic damage to engineering infrastructures [20][21][22] and result in a large number of casualties [23,24] in a number of cities and countries each year.…”

The Impact of Microearthquakes Induced by Reservoir Water Level Rise on Stability of Rock Slope

“…In addition to the direct influence on the stability of reservoir bank slopes, the variation in the reservoir water level can also cause changes of the stress field and seepage field in the rock mass, thus inducing earthquakes [12][13][14][15]. According to relevant literature and monitoring data [16][17][18][19][20][21][22], the frequency of earthquake activities in the reservoir area soars after impoundment, surging up to 15 occurrences per day.…”

Methods to Analyze Flexural Buckling of the Consequent Slabbed Rock Slope under Top Loading

“…Supposing that the rock element strength obeys Weibull distribution model, Zhang et al [13] introduced the rock strength into the calculation of the critical buckling height (CBH) of the consequent slabbed rock slope. Qi et al [14] presented an analytical solution on slip buckling slope failure which fully considers both the effect of earthquake and pore water pressure based on energy equilibrium theory.…”

“…First of all, the load acting on the slope is not perfectly considered in the existing studies. Although the loads such as self-weight of rock slabs, groundwater pressure, and the seismic force are considered in the models proposed by many researchers [11,14], the slope is often subjected to the top loading such as the transportation and building loads which are not considered in the calculation of the CBH of the consequent slabbed rock slope. Moreover, the rock is assumed to be elastic in the existing studies and cannot fail in strength which is not always true in the practical engineering.…”