A GLE-based model for seismic displacement analysis of slopes including strength degradation and geometry rearrangement

Seismic performance of natural slopes, earth structures and solid-waste landfills can be evaluated through displacement-based methods in which permanent displacements induced by earthquake loading are assumed to progressively develop along the critical sliding surface as a result of transient activation of plastic mechanisms within the soil mass. For sliding mechanisms of general shape the earthquake-induced displacements should be computed using a model that provides a closer approximation of sliding surface. When large permanent displacement are induced by seismic actions, due to substantial shear strength reduction, and significant changes in ground surface occur, an improved estimate of permanent displacement can be obtained using a model which accounts for shear strength reduction and mass transfer between adjacent portions of the slope resulting from geometry changes of ground surface during the seismic event. In this paper a GLE-based model is proposed for seismic displacement analysis of slopes that accounts for shear strength degradation and for geometry rearrangement. Model accuracy is validated against experimental results obtained from shaking table tests carried out on small scale model slopes. Comparison of computed and experimental results demonstrates the capability of the proposed approach in capturing the main features of the observed seismic response of the model slopes.