Application of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) for the Simulation of Flow-Like Landslides on 3D Terrains

Abstract

Flow-type landslide is one type of landslide that generally exhibits characteristics of high flow velocities, long jump distances, and poor predictability. Simulation of its propagation process can provide solutions for risk assessment and mitigation design. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method has been successfully applied to the simulation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) flow-like landslides. However, the influence of boundary resistance on the whole process of landslide failure is rarely discussed. In this study, a boundary condition considering friction is proposed and integrated into the SPH method, and its accuracy is verified. Moreover, the Navier-Stokes equation combined with the non-Newtonian fluid rheology model was utilized to solve the dynamic behavior of the flow-like landslide. To verify its performance, the Shuicheng landslide event, which occurred in Guizhou, China, was taken as a case study. In the 2D simulation, a sensitivity analysis was conducted, and the results showed that the shearing strength parameters have more influence on the computation accuracy than the coefficient of viscosity. Afterwards, the dynamic characteristics of the landslide, such as the velocity and the impact area, were analyzed in the 3D simulation. The simulation results are in good agreement with the field investigations. The simulation results demonstrate that the SPH method performs well in reproducing the landslide process, and facilitates the analysis of landslide characteristics as well as the affected areas, which provides a scientific basis for conducting the risk assessment and disaster mitigation design.