Considerations on the mechanics of failure of the infinite slope

This paper focuses on the mechanics of failure of the infinite slope due to groundwater table rising. To this end, the soil is modelled either as an elastic perfectly plastic or strain-softening non-associative material, obeying the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. Closed-form expressions of stress and strain are reported, proving that the operative shear stress along the failure surface at the base of the landslide could be less than the available shear strength and that this may be theoretically justified, not being necessarily due to softening, progressive failure or whatever other deterioration mechanism. The analysis shows that the mechanical slope response depends on the formation of a shear band at the base of the slope. This process is analysed from first yielding up to slope failure.