Mathematical Modelling of Slopes

The paper discusses first the effect of rainfall on the stability of slopes and it focusses on the role of permeability. Existing or induced discontinuities are shown to have a remarkable effect on the slope safety. Also, the relevance of changes in hydraulic properties in weathered profiles is discussed through a real case. The performance of modern “Lagrangian particle” methods and their capabilities to deal with large displacements is presented. The cases solved refer to brittle materials, a common situation in overconsolidated high plasticity clays.