A two-wedge approach for the evaluation of seismic-induced rock-slides

In the framework of the Work Package WP2 of the 2017-18 Reluis project, focused on “Slope stability”, the research group of Messina University proposed an analytical two-wedge methodology to evaluate the co-seismic performance of soil or rock slopes characterized by a sliding failure mechanism. The analysis accounts for the presence of a single internal joint and for the kinematic compatibility of the displacements of the two wedges which occurs along different segments of a two-planar sliding surface. A closed form solution, including the effect of the vertical component of ground motion, is provided for the evaluation of the slope yield acceleration coefficient ky and for the displacement factor S which characterizes the equation of motion of the slope. The results of a parametric analysis are presented and discussed in the paper together with some useful charts providing ky and S as a function of some non-dimensional geometrical and mechanical parameters.