An innovative physical model for studying landslide dynamics in forests with controlled tree breakage

Haiming Liu; A. Leonardi

Publication Title
An innovative physical model for studying landslide dynamics in forests with controlled tree breakage

Abstract

Field observations show that forests can act as natural barriers that reduce landslide runout by dissipating energy during impact and enhancing resistance through tree entrainment. However, although recent physical modelling has indicated how forest spatial configuration can enhance energy dissipation, most studies idealised trees as rigid, unbreakable elements, and therefore overlooked the critical role of tree failure in landslide dynamics. This study presents a new 1g physical flume model for studying landslideforest interactions with an explicit consideration of tree failures. The flume utilises tree elements that are designed to fail at calibrated bending moments to model the mechanical behaviour of forests during flow-like landslide impact. A new dimensionless number is introduced to characterise the failure of tree elements, and its performance is validated through a series of flume tests.

Authors
Haiming Liu; A. Leonardi

Published In

11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)

Theme

Special Session 8: Nature-based solution for sustainable geotechnical systems