GEO 6480/7480 – LANDSLIDES AND SLOPE STABILITY ENGINEERING (Fall 2007)
- Instructor: Aurelian C. Trandafir, Assistant Professor (INSCC 468), Tel.: +1-801-585-0491, E-mail: atrandafir@earth.utah.edu
- Department: Geology and Geophysics, Univ. of Utah
- Recommended prerequisites, knowledge and/or skills: A background in geotechnical engineering (CVEEN 3310, 3320), groundwater (GEO 5350), geo-engineering design (GEO5150) and basic computer skills with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office would be desirable for this course.
- Course objectives: This course is intended for graduate students in geo-engineering and geosciences specializing in the field of landslides and slope stability. Students will learn about various landslide triggering mechanisms, modern approaches and new research issues in slope stability engineering. They will employ modern computer tools to perform probabilistic landslide hazard assessments, evaluations of earthquake-induced slope displacements, back analyses of slope failures, as well as to investigate the effectiveness and suitability of various stabilization measures for different categories of slopes.
- Topics covered: principles, definitions, triggering mechanisms and processes of landslides, influence of geological history and uncertainties in soil strength parameters, deterministic and probabilistic approaches in landslide hazard assessment, progressive failure, back analysis of slope failures, linear and nonlinear failure envelopes in slope stability analysis, seismic aspects of slope stability, cyclic and monotonic shear behavior of liquefiable soils, earthquake-induced catastrophic landslides in liquefiable soils, rainfall-induced shallow landslides on steep slopes, slope stabilization measures, case studies.
- Outcomes: By the end of this course, the students will
- understand the importance of an interdisciplinary approach (combining knowledge of earth science and engineering) in addressing the complexity of the landslide problem;
- be able to model the uncertainties in soil strength properties and perform probabilistic assessments of landslide hazard;
- be able to evaluate the soil strength parameters from back analyses of slope failures;
- understand the importance of considering the non-linear character of strength envelope in slope stability evaluations;
- be able to perform a sliding block analysis of earthquake-induced landslide movements;
- become familiar with the mechanism of earthquake-induced ground liquefaction and its importance in earthquake-induced catastrophic landslide hazard assessment.
- be able to select the appropriate set of remedial measures for a specific landslide problem from the wide spectrum of techniques available for slope stabilization.
- Lectures and Labs: 2 hrs lecture (Monday 9:40 AM – 11:35 AM) and 3 hrs lab (Tuesday 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM) every week.
- Exams: There is no final exam for this course.
- Course Grading: Final grading will be done based on the scores of homework assignments and the contribution of students to discussions during lectures.
- Note: This course will be taught every other year in the Fall, starting 2007.
- Textbooks: Most of the reference material (e.g., journal articles) for this course will be made available by the instructor. However, some of the lectures will also address topics contained in the following reference books:
-Slope Stability and Stabilization Methods, 2nd Edition, Abramson L.W., Lee T.S., Sharma S., and Boyce G.M., John Wiley and Sons, NY, 2001. (ISBN: 978-0-471-38493-9)
-Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Kramer S.L., Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J., 1996 (ISBN-10:0133749436, ISBN-13:9780133749434)
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations.
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