Analysis Tools for Mass Movement Assessment

Slope stability assessment is a fundamental step in evaluating landslide hazard and for the safe design of structures and infrastructures. We analyze the physical principles that underlie both the most frequently used computational methods and some less common but accurate methods. The most important limit equilibrium methods, and the most widely adopted by practitioners, are presented in detail in a unified conceptual framework, and then limit analysis approaches are introduced and discussed. The latter have the advantages of performing parametric analyses of slope stability under slightly simplified conditions to obtain dimensionless stability charts. The basic principles of finite element, finite difference, and distinct element methods are described, and their advantages and disadvantages are listed.