Strength softening models of soil and its application in rainfall-induced landslide simulation

In this study, strength softening models are developed for exploring rainfall-induced landslide mechanism based on Mohr-Coulomb strength theory with both saturation degree and temporal evolution into consideration. According to the ratio of two time scales available, the model can be classified into three categories, i.e., instant softening model, delay softening model, and coupling softening model. Corresponding evolution functions are specified to represent these kinds of softening processes and then applied to simulate landslide of homogeneous slopes triggered by rainfall, therefrom, useful conclusions can be drawn in the end.