Student4Student Summerschool

Understanding and predicting landslide behavior is crucial for mitigating risks in mountainous regions. This session focuses on the application of numerical modeling techniques to assess soil behavior under stress conditions and to simulate landslide scenarios. Participants will be introduced to open source software tools such as R-slope or Avaflow, widely used in geotechnical engineering for analyzing soil-structure interactions.

The goal is to to set up a simple numerical model that represents the slope visited on the excursion session. The participants will learn how to use topografic data, INSAR-data, geological maps and laboratoric data to create a simple model close to reality to capture the behaviour of soil.

Furthermore participants will have a brief introdution to advanced numerical models, such as: coding, 3D-modelling and advanced soil constitutive models.

The session will include practical exercises where participants develop simple models to simulate landslides, evaluate soil stability, and predict potential failure mechanisms. Discussions will emphasize the interpretation of modeling results and their application in real-world hazard assessment and mitigation strategies.

The session will combine informative presentations with hands-on modeling exercises:

• Presentations: Short introduction in the fundamentals of numerical modeling in geotechnical engineering and the role of such models in landslide risk assessment.
• Short presentation/discussion of different models used by participants
• Software Introduction: Guided walkthroughs of modeling software, focusing on key features relevant to simulating soil behavior and landslide scenarios.
• Practical Exercises: Interactive sessions where participants build and run their own models, with real-time support and feedback from instructors.
• Case Studies: Analysis of documented landslide events where numerical modeling played a key role in understanding failure mechanisms and informing mitigation efforts.
• Comparison of outcomes with other models

This session is designed for geotechnical engineers, geologists, researchers, and students interested in enhancing their skills in numerical modeling for landslide risk assessment.