Kinematic model of a translational slide in the Cidu section of the Formosan Freeway

This study presents a kinematic model of a translational slide in the Cidu section of the Formosan Freeway in Taiwan, including the associated kinematic processes and the geometry of the deposition. A numerical simulation of the slide was performed using the discrete element method. This kinematic model has been considered the distribution of bedding plane and joints, engineering installations, and mechanical parameters in the development of a numerical model capable of clarifying the kinematic characteristics of this translational slide with high velocities. When the friction coefficient of each particle was set to 0.03, the predicted maximum velocity was 23.6 m/s and the debris reached the other side of the Formosan Freeway. The simulations demonstrated that the three cars involved in the incident and the Formosan Freeway itself were buried at 2 to 4 s during the event (the predicted average velocity was 10.2 m/s) and that the translational slide ceased its movement at 7.5 s, resulting in the formation of a slightly fragmented depositional mass.