ABSTRACT
The large-scale deformation of high mountain slopes finds its origin in many phenomena from which time-constants are very different. The numerical approach offers the possibility of testing some of the principal causes, in particular the gravitational effect. Then, a two-dimensional numerical experimentation with ADELI code was carried out to determine the effect of gravitational force on mechanical behaviour of the ‘‘la Clapiere’’ area. Gravitational effect, tectonics forces, water infiltration are generally the principal causes. F. Cappa et al. have tested numerically the influence of the location and the amount of water infiltration on the hydromechanical behaviour of La Clapiere slope. The ‘‘La Clapiere’’ slope is constituted of migmatitic paragneisses and migmatitic orthogneisses. Those rocks bear a strong Hercyninan foliation, and are therefore highly anisotropic. Different mechanical numerical models have been performed to better locate the deformation in the rock mass and determine critical geomechanical parameters from which the landslide occurs in the particular case of ‘‘La Clapiere’’.
