Material Point Method modelling of cascading effects of flow-like lanslides

The Material Point Method (MPM) is here used to reproduce the hydro-mechanical coupling between solid particle and pore water pressure inside the soil involved in flow-like landslides. Examples are considered for the case of shallow soil deposits mobilized along steep slopes and impacting buildings and artificial barriers. Multiple mechanisms and cascading effects are investigated. Of special interest is the case of debris avalanches, which are characterized by impact loading, lateral thrust of stable soil and entrainment of material during the landslide propagation path. MPM is one of the most suitable method to deal with static equilibrium of elasto-plastic materials in the pre-failure stage, large deformations upon failure, extremely large displacements during the propagation stage while tracking the stress-strain history of the materials involved.