Comments on Mechanisms of Release

In a book mainly dealing with the dynamic mechanisms of moving masses, the release, i.e. the initiation of motion, cannot be discussed in equal detail as motion proper. Nevertheless some comments on the subject, as presented in this chapter, will be useful for different reasons. The most important thereof are the following. In the present section, a general discussion of the conditions favouring release of large masses (Sect. 3.1) will pave the way for a quantitative treatment of various impending problems. Some light will be thrown upon the mechanisms connected with the breakdown of cohesion and pre-release creeping; thereby methods hitherto unusual in connection with rockslides and rockfalls will be presented (Sect. 3.2). Eventually details of several particular mechanisms will illustrate applied quantification in cases ranging from everyday occurrences to exotica in the true sense (Sect. 3.3).