New quantitative displacement criteria for slope deformation process: From the onset of the accelerating creep to brittle rupture and final failure

Two quantitative displacement criteria for slope deformation were deduced through the combination of a one-dimensional renormalization group model and the strain-softening constitutive model of geological materials. The criteria can be used to understand the mechanical process from the onset of the accelerating creep on a slope, through brittle rupture, to the final failure and landslides. The study showed that according to the first criterion, the displacement ratio between the brittle rupture and the onset of the accelerating creep is approximately 1.48, which can be used to predict the brittle rupture of a slope with continuous progressive deformation. The second displacement criterion shows that the displacement ratio between the final failure and the onset of the accelerating creep is approximately 2.59, which can be used to predict the occurrence of the ultimate disaster. Thus, the critical displacement prior to the failure of the slope can be predicted using a time series of monitoring displacement data. The methodology proposed in this study was validated using data from two well-known landslides, the Vajont landslide in Italy and the Xintan landslide in China. The results verify the applicability of this method.