Dynamic determination of landslide stability and thrust force considering slip zone evolution

The determination of landslide stabilities and thrust forces is the premise for designing landslide stabilizing structures. The shear strength of the slip zone, which is a key factor affecting the stability and thrust force of landslides, constantly changes in time and space with landslide movement. Therefore, this phenomenon should be considered. In this study, a method that dynamically evaluates landslide stabilities and thrust forces by considering the variation in the shear strength of the slip zone with landslide movement by technically utilizing the whole process data of the ring shear test is proposed. The method was applied to the Huangtupo landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China. The results demonstrate that the proposed method has obvious advantages in considering uneven deformation of the landslide and the gradual weakening process of the shear strength of the slip zone. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the weakening coefficient that reflects the weakening degree of the shear strength of the slip zone proved to be quantitatively described well by the S-shaped curve equation.