Modeling The Post-Failure And Run-Off For a Translational Landslide In Taiwan By Material Point Method

Abstract

The material point method (MPM) is an extended finite element method that can be used to simulate large deformation scenarios. A massive translational landslide in Taiwan was adopted to validate the numerical technique as thorough investigations, including the digital terrain models (DTMs), laboratory experiments, and numerical analyses, were available in a forensic report. The MPM code Anura3D was used to mimic the landslide’s kinematics, post-failure, and run-off process. An unstable sandstone/shale interlayer was found to lead the slope sliding; therefore, the before-and-after DTMs from the report mentioned above were used to examine the run-off distance and deposition to determine the best fit of reduced material properties for this layer. The sliding paths, displacements, velocities of the sliding can be evaluated by dividing the material points into several groups to differentiate the kinematic among them. Meanwhile, the simulations were compared with different numerical methods. The landslide duration and possible maximum safety distance were also assessed. This study has demonstrated that the MPM can analyze the large deformation, post-failure, and run-off distance of landslides. The critical timing of a slope failure is possible to be an essential index on national spatial planning for future disaster reduction.