Determination of Residual Thrust Force of Landslide Using Vector Sum Method

Abstract

Different from the conventional transfer coefficient method widely used for calculating landslide thrust, the vector sum method can incorporate the complete stress state from any numerical simulation into a limit equilibrium analysis, with the vector characteristics of force featured. In this paper, the vector sum method is improved to calculate the landslide thrust under design factor of safety before the reinforcement of landslide. The main sliding direction is theoretically determined by the principle of minimum potential energy. The distribution of landslide thrust along the slip surface can be directly calculated from the trailing edge to the leading edge of landslide, which can benefit the reinforcement design of the slope. Finally, three examples are used to verify the proposed method, and the calculated results demonstrate the accuracy and the broader applicability of the proposed method.