Analysis of the run-out processes of the Xinlu Village landslide using the generalized interpolation material point method

Abstract

The prediction of the landslide kinetic features is of great importance in minimizing the potential hazardous impacts and in applying the appropriate stabilization techniques. The present study used the generalized interpolation material point (GIMP) method to analyze the run-out processes of the Xinlu Village landslide that has taken place in Xinlu Village, Chongqing, China, in 2016. The evolutions of equivalent plastic strain, displacement, landslide velocity, and kinematic energy were investigated during the landslide motion. The simulation results indicated that the initial stage of the landslide started with slippage of the mid-front soil part with a maximum velocity of 1.02 m/s (at t = 9 s). The rear rock came to failure at t = 69 s as the tensile crack extended from the landslide surface to the deep weak interlayer. Thereafter, the rear rock further accelerated and pushed the mid-front sliding soil, which formed an overall movement. The kinetic energy of the studied landslide concentrated in the acceleration phases of the soil and rock masses. The predicted landslide geometry and run-out distance had slight differences from the actual ones. Based on the landslide run-out analysis, the studied landslide can be classified as a landslide that simultaneously comprises retrogressive and advancing features. A potential secondary failure of this landslide could happen under specific extreme circumstances.