Numerical Simulation of Subaerial Granular Landslide Impulse Waves and Their Behaviour on a Slope Using a Coupled Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics–Discrete Element Method

Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the wave features of subaerial granular landslide-generated impulse waves and their impact on slopes. A numerical solution was obtained by coupling smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and the discrete element method (DEM). Several predictive equations were tested for their applicability in predicting the maximum crest amplitude of impulse waves generated by slides of different shapes. The results indicated that the predictive model developed by Heller and Hager, utilising slide centroid impact velocity, showed favourable prediction accuracy for the maximum crest amplitude, almost independent of the slide shape at impact. Regarding the leading wave, although the wave profile and velocity distribution deviated significantly from a solitary wave of the same wave amplitude, the maximum run-up could be satisfactorily estimated using solitary wave theory. In addition, the increase in the maximum dynamic forces exerted by the impulse waves on the slope followed a power law with the incident wave amplitude.