Analysis of Slope Creep in the Example of a Landslide Slope in Koronowo near Bydgoszcz

Abstract This paper presents the results of a numerical simulation of a slope deformation process. The landslide slope “Grabina” in Koronowo near Bydgoszcz (Poland) serves as an example. A slope profile located in the central part of the slope, between the main scarp and the toe of the landslide, was selected. The average dip of the slope is about 10, and its length is approximately 55 m. Elasticity, plasticity and viscosity properties were taken into account in the model of the soil mass that composes the slope. The visco-elastic properties are described by the Burgers model (Mainardi and Spada 2011), and the plastic ones by the Coulomb-Mohr law. A numerical simulation was carried out by the computer code FLAC2D in the plane strain state with the assumption of the Lagrange routine. The model was discretized taking into account the results of inclinometric measurements, which proved that the slide movement was concentrated in a narrow loam zone of 0.5–1.0 m thickness. No tests of the viscosity parameters were performed, so they were determined by the back analysis and a trial and error method. The calculation results were verified by comparison with the displacement measured by the inclinometric method in three boreholes. The analysis performed demonstrated the possibility of approximating and forecasting landslide displacements by the combined Burgers and Coulomb-Mohr models.