Journal
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL JOURNAL
Volume 50, Issue 9, Pages 961-978Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/cgj-2012-0390
Keywords
progressive failure; spreads; sensitive clays; stresses in slopes; brittleness
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Fonds quebecois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Spreads are a type of large landslide occurring in sensitive clays. Stability analyses using the limit equilibrium method give factors of safety that are too large and are therefore not applicable to this type of landslide. The progressive failure mechanism is believed to explain the initiation and propagation of the failure surface and the dislocation of the soil mass in horsts and grabens, typical of spreads. A numerical method is presented to identify the parameters influencing progressive failure and to validate the application of this mechanism to spreads. The method evaluates the stresses acting in the slope before failure and models the initiation and propagation of the progressive failure. It is demonstrated that high, steep slopes, with a large earth pressure ratio at rest, are more susceptible to progressive failure and the failure surface propagates over a large distance. Failure is more likely to occur when soil with high brittleness is involved. Soil with low strength at large deformation induces failure propagation over a larger distance. Eastern Canadian clays can exhibit high sensitivity and large brittleness during shear and are susceptible to progressive failure, which explains the occurrence of spreads in these soils.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available