Dynamic Analysis of the High-Speed and Long-Runout Landslide Movement Process Based on the Discrete Element Method: A Case Study of the Shuicheng Landslide in Guizhou, China

On July 23, 2019, a high-speed and long-runout landslide occurred in Jichang Town, Shuicheng County, Guizhou Province, China, causing 42 deaths and 9 missing. This paper used the discrete element software MatDEM to construct a three-dimensional discrete element model based on digital elevation data and then simulated and analyzed the movement and accumulation process of the landslide. The maximum average velocity of the source area elements reached 14 m/s when passed through the scraping area; meanwhile, the velocity of the scraping area elements increased rapidly. At 90 s, the maximum displacement of the source area elements reached 1358.5 m. The heat generated during the movement of the landslide was mainly the frictional heat, and the frictional heat increased sharply when the source area elements passed through the scraping area. The change of frictional heat has a certain positive correlation with the velocity of the scraping area elements. Finally, the volume of the scraping area elements was 2.4 times greater than the source area elements in the deposits. The scraping effect increases the volume of the sliding body and expands the impact area of the landslide disaster. Additionally, by setting different compressive and tensile strengths as well as internal friction coefficients to analyze the influences of their value changes on the landslide movement process, the results show that the smaller the strengths and internal friction coefficient of the model, the greater the depth and area of the scraping area, which will result in a thicker accumulation; meanwhile, the average displacement, average velocity, and heat will also increase.

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