Models available to understand failure and pre-failure behaviour of large rock slope movements : the case of La Clapiere, Southern Alps, France
Abstract
We examine the choices model-users have to face when applying models to better understand slope failure and prefailure movements of large rock slopes and illustrate how modelling can help understand rock slope movements. At first, the questions that the models can help to answer are listed. The different types of models available to understand the hydromechanical behaviour of rock slope movements are then specified. Different types of models have been applied to the La Clapière case. This movement is described and three different modelling analyses of this landslide are outlined. Each model allows an understanding of a part of the problem raised by rock slope movements, but none of them can actually represent totally the phenomena involved in the movement.