ABSTRACT
The paper describes the history of a major slope slide which occurred in a deep cut of bypass motorway M0 near Budapest. Preliminary soil investigations, design considerations, slope failure, remedial measures and subsequent behaviour of the slope are reviewed. Following reconstruction, the deformation of the slope continued, though at a slowing rate. Heavy rains or long rainy periods seem to have been responsible from time to time for temporary distress in the slope and the situation has not yet been completely stabilized. Monitoring of the movement of the slope suggested the likelihood of a relatively rigid block gradually sliding on a thin, strongly dipping weak layer. Such a movement may lead to failure at the moment the tensile stresses in the overlying brittle block have reached the value of the tensile strength. An analysis of performance observations made it possible to identify a fairly true failure mechanism. In the stability analysis of similar cases special consideration needs to be given to the shear strength (particularly tensile strength) at low stress levels and to differential rigidities of earth masses involved in the movement.
