A general model for predicting the earthquake-induced displacements of shallow and deep slope failures

Abstract The accurate assessment of the stability of slopes during earthquakes has become a critical issue in seismically active areas. To readily evaluate seismic slope hazards in a region, we developed an empirical model for estimating seismic slope displacements for both shallow and deep types of failures (i.e., rigid and flexible sliding mass, respectively). The prediction model is simply a function of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and mean period of ground motions (Tm). For predicting displacement of shallow failure, the PGA and Tm of incident motion can be directly used in the model. For predicting the displacement of deep failure, however, the dynamic response of flexible sliding block interacts with the incident motion. The changed PGA and Tm, defined as kmax and Tm,k for the seismic loading of flexible sliding mass, respectively, is estimated depending on the natural period of sliding mass (Ts). Therefore, the predicting displacement of flexible mass is achieved using kmax and Tm,k in lieu of PGA and Tm in the developed rigid model. This general model provides a consistent approach for predicting the sliding displacement of shallow (rigid) and deep (flexible) slope failures.