Further contributions ( Vardoulakis, 2000, 2002 Goren & Aharonov, 2007, 2009 Veveakis et al., 2007 Cecinato et al., 2010 Goren et al., 2010 Pinyol & Alonso, 2010a, 2010b Cecinato & Zervos, 2012 He et al., 2015 Alonso et al., 2016) followed the pioneering development by Voight & Faust (1982) and introduced additional improvements. Voight & Faust (1982) were the first to formulate the physics of the problem by combining the mass and heat balance equations inside the shear band and the dynamic equilibrium of the moving mass. Later, Uriel Romero & Molina (1977) combined a limit equilibrium model and the heat-induced water pressure to explain Vajont rapid motion. The idea of explaining fast sliding due to heating generated by frictional work was first introduced by Habib (1967), who explained that the rapid motion of Vajont landslide was a consequence of the vapour pressure generated in the sliding surface.
As a result, effective frictional resistance forces reduce and the landslide accelerates. It leads to thermal-induced dilation of solid particles and water filling the pores in saturated soils, which, in turn, leads to increments of pore water pressure essentially dissipated as flow from the shear band towards the surrounding soil. One of the mechanisms invoked to explain the rapid acceleration of landslides is the heating of shearing bands induced by the mechanical energy dissipated during sliding. Calculated run-out and sliding velocity reproduce, in a satisfactory manner, field observations. The method is applied to model the instability and subsequent rapid motion of Vajont landslide. Balance equations describing local flow and thermal interactions between shear bands and the remaining material are formulated. The problem posed by the non-realistic thickness of shear bands in numerical calculation is addressed by means of a numerical procedure that includes consideration of embedded shear bands where the strains are assumed to be localised. Shear band thickness is also a relevant control variable. The marked effect of soil permeability to control the slide motion after failure is described. Mechanical work essentially dissipates in shearing bands, which develop excess pore water pressures.
A simple slope stability is first analysed. The method is applied to the analysis of landslides. The model was implemented into a material point calculation procedure.
The paper describes a thermo-hydro-mechanical formulation to model thermally induced effects due to the irreversible work input generated during soil deformation.