THE STATE-OF-ART AND FUTURE DEVELOPMNET OF FRICTION HEATING INDUCDED WEAKENING MECHANISMS OF ROCK AVALANCHES

Complex friction heating processes and effects exist between the basal facies and the substrates of rock avalanches. A series of friction heating induced phenomenon and corresponding weakening mechanisms consequently occur. The friction heating of rock avalanches has become one of the most crucial scientific problems in the field of landslide dynamics for decades. In this study, a general review of the study history on friction heating of rock avalanches is firstly given. The term frictionite is described in detail. Next, the state of art of friction heating induced weakening mechanisms along with newly reported cases are reviewed in terms of: thermal melting, thermal pressurization, thermal decomposition and thermal moisture. Then the authors propose several problems to which attention and efforts should be paid in future study: (1)precise discovery and judgement of more field evidence referring to friction heating induced weakening on rock avalanches; (2)quantified real-time dynamic monitoring and illustration of experimental parameters and (3)establishing multi-processes, multi-field coupling study of friction heating induced weakening mechanisms on rock avalanches. Finally, the future development of friction heating induced weakening mechanisms of rock avalanches was proposed.