Looking for an expert explanation of landslides

[RoopinderTara]

Hi forum,
With the tragic landslides recently in Sierra Leone, our readers would like to get an knowledgeable engineer to explain soil mechanics and landslides in an article. This is outside my expertise so I was only able to gather up a little information and create a short post but hoping someone here can do this subject more justice. Please contact me if you'd like to help, even if you've never written an article before.
best,

Roopinder Tara
Director of Content

http://www.Engineering.com

 

[oldestguy]

This is a subject that is one that might be likened to the subject of farming practices, as an example. Many different situations are possible and landslides can occur for a variety or reasons. I'd look for a library book on the subject as a starter. One text that has been around for a while is "Stability Analysis Earth Slopes" by Yang H. Huang. It only covers some of those different situations that we deal with.

 

[BigH]

oldestguy gave one such book.

I found that the Transportation Research Board's Special Report 176, Landslides, Analysis and Control is an excellent publication although a bit old (1978).
Cornforth's book on 'Landslides in Practice' is also very good.
Hutchinson's State of the Art Paper in the ISSMFE Conference Mexico 1969 is also an excellent reference.

Do you want to bring over a speaker on landslides?? Professor (retired) Dr. Laurence Wesley might be considered (from New Zealand) but there are quite a number of others. You should, I would posit, be looking for someone who can talk practicality on the subject rather than delving into complex analyses.

 

[fattdad]

When the ground is level, the only forces are vertically downward.
When there is a slope, there are unbalanced earth pressures below the ground.
It's friction that restrains the unbalanced earth pressures - friction between the soil particles.
Friction in soil is related to many factors including soil grain size, presence of water and the weight of the soil.
As the slope increases, there is greater reliance on soil friction.
At some point the unbalanced forces exceed the soil friction and the slope fails.

Good luck in your studies, research and in educating the public.

f-d

ípapß gordo ainÆt no madre flaca!