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Process of building collapse caused by the Po Shan Road landslide in Hong Kong on 18 June 1972

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Abstract

Urban areas in Hong Kong are often developed on hillside due to the lack of land resources. The densely distributed buildings located on the hillslope are thus threatened by landslide hazards. The Po Shan Road landslide occurred on June 18, 1972 is one of the most notable landslides in Hong Kong. The slip area of the landslide was about 270 m × 60 m. Three buildings were destroyed in this disaster: two by direct landslide impact and one by the impact of a collapsed building. In this study, the landslide-building interaction and the building-building interaction in this landslide incident are simulated through explicit dynamic analysis. The landslide and building structures are modelled using the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method and the Finite Element Method (FEM), respectively. The simulated landslide flow, impact and building failure processes match well the eye witness. The landslide intensity far exceeds the thresholds to reach complete damage of the buildings. The failure mechanisms of the 12-storey residential building, which was a reinforced concrete building with shear walls, are discovered. When the impact force exceeds the ultimate lateral capacity, the building can be pushed forward. The toppled building impacts into an adjacent building block, causing a maximum impact force of over 25 MN. A severe secondary damage thus occurs. The analysis enhances the understanding of landslide-building interactions and helps robust building design.

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Fig. 1

source: https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/kla/pshe/references-and-resources/geography/LPM%20Works%20at%20Po%20Shan%20(English).pdf and https://racingmemories.hk/photogallery/1972-06-11-before-po-shan-road-kotewall-court-landslip/)

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source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvcs80Ty7WE&t=242s)

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41941017 and U20A20112) and Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR (No. T22-603/15N).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China

    H. Y. Luo, L. M. Zhang, H. J. Wang & J. He

  2. HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China

    L. M. Zhang

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  1. H. Y. Luo
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  2. L. M. Zhang
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  3. H. J. Wang
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  4. J. He
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Correspondence to L. M. Zhang.

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Luo, H.Y., Zhang, L., Wang, H.J. et al. Process of building collapse caused by the Po Shan Road landslide in Hong Kong on 18 June 1972. Landslides 18, 3769–3780 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-021-01745-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-021-01745-y

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