ABSTRACT
This paper deals with two alternative approaches to model the propagation of fast landslides and similar phenomena. Concerning discrete methods, they present the following advantages: (i) treatment of segregation phenomena, (ii) they take into account geometrical effects such as curvature and steep slopes, and (iii) from the point of view of rheological models, they account for active and passive states. On the other hand, continuum models have the following as main advantages: (i) better representation of fluid-like and viscous materials such as those involved in tailing dam failures, (ii) it is possible to include the effects of pore pressure and effective stresses, providing a coupling between the solid phase and the interstitial fluid, and (iii) they require less computational effort. We will illustrate the points mentioned above with both simple tests such as a dam break of granular materials, and real cases, such as Valtellina landslide.
