Application of the SLIP Model

SLIP is a mathematical model that is used by the Research Team of the University of Parma to predict the results of experimental lab tests and landslides that occurred at the Cervinara field site on 16 December 1999. The simple physically based model calculates the factor of safety as a function of the main variables that trigger soil slip, including the amount of rain, slope geometry, and the state, mechanical and hydraulic characteristics of the soil. The hypotheses of the model were developed from field observations, and thus the model can predict soil slip under field conditions. This paper provides a brief description of the model, the procedure used to calibrate the parameters based on data from the Research Team of the Second University of Naples, and the predicted results for lab flume tests and the landslides that occurred in the fields.