Slope Failure Initiation by Seismic Loading from Different Sources

Abstract—We present the results of laboratory studies of slope failure criteria by dynamic impulse loading in the range of peak ground velocities (PGV) between 0.003 and 1.3 m/s and peak ground accelerations (PGA) between 0.01 to above 170g. Critical parameter values of the dynamic loads acting on model slopes are established. The minimum PGA value at which landslide initiation was observed is significantly higher than critical acceleration calculated in the quasi static approach. At the same time, with close static factors of safety, critical parameters for underwater and dry slopes are comparable notwithstanding the fact that the character of the ground motion after initiation in the experiments under water strongly differs from that on the dry slopes. It is shown that there are minimal PGA and PGV values ​​at which irreversible slope deformations take place. If acceleration is lower than the minimum PGA value PGAmin, no significant irreversible deformations occur at any PGV. If mass velocity is below PGVmin, than at PGA > PGAmin, irreversible deformations are observed, and a repeated impact may cause a slope to fail. Using Newmark approximation, slope stability is calculated for various impact types: earthquakes of different magnitudes, ripple-fired explosions, and high-yield underground explosions.