ABSTRACT
The interaction between landslides and man-made works is a major issue in risk assessment. This chapter reviews data and general approaches generally adopted, seeking to summarize and rationally classify experience. Typically, rapid landslides involve brittle materials, such as rock, OC clay or loose silts and sands when subjected to undrained shearing. Indeed, the fall in strength after a peak causes an unbalanced force to rise, which is responsible for acceleration of the landslide body. Slow landslides involve ductile materials, such as slightly OC clay or highly OC clays at residual, which dissipate into friction all the energy possessed. In general, man-made works can be located only on gentle slopes. The interaction between landslides and man-made works mainly depends on the velocity and mass of landslides. To schematize the problem it is useful to classify landslides into two groups: fast and slow movements.
