A 3D slope stability analysis method assuming parallel lines of intersection and differential straining of block contacts

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 799-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhsiung Chang
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Shear Stresses ◽  
Block System ◽  
Stability Of Slopes ◽  
Sliding Mechanism ◽  
The Stability

A three-dimensional (3D) method of analysis of the stability of slopes was developed based on the sliding mechanism observed in the 1988 failure of the Kettleman Hills landfill slope (Kettleman City, California) and the associated model studies. By adopting a limit equilibrium concept, the method assumes the sliding mass as a block system in which the contacts between blocks are inclined. The lines of intersection of the block contacts are assumed to be parallel, which enables the sliding kinematics. In consideration of the differential straining between blocks, the shear stresses on the slip surface and the block contacts are evaluated based on the degree of shear strength mobilization on these contacts. The overall factor of safety is calculated based on the force equilibrium of the individual blocks and the entire block system as well. Based on comparisons with a series of hypothetical 3D and 2D problems with known solutions, the method was generally found to be accurate in predicting the stability of slopes involving a translational type of sliding failure. For rotational sliding failures in clays, however, the method appears to slightly overestimate the calculated factor of safety; up to as much as 10% in a typical problem examined in this study.Key words: slope stability, 3D method, limit equilibrium, block kinematics, strain incompatibility.

Three-dimensional slope stability based on stresses from a stress-deformation analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 891-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Stianson ◽  
D.G. Fredlund ◽  
D. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Stress Distribution ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Internal Stress ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Equilibrium Analysis ◽  
Deformation Analysis ◽  
Stress Deformation ◽  
The Stability

A procedure is developed where stresses from a finite element analysis are incorporated into a limit equilibrium framework to evaluate the stability of three-dimensional slopes. An independent stress-deformation analysis is performed to calculate the internal stress state for the slope. The stress distribution is imported into the three-dimensional slope stability analysis in the form of a regular grid. The slip surfaces considered in the limit equilibrium analysis are ellipsoidal and discretized using a series of triangular planes. The normal and shear force acting at the centroid of individual triangular planes can be computed from the internal stress distribution. Subsequently, the factor of safety of a selected slip surface can be calculated directly without using an iterative procedure. A series of verification examples are presented to confirm that the proposed method provides the required accuracy and flexibility to assess the stability of slopes typically encountered in practice. Sensitivity analyses are presented to show how the procedure used to compute the forces acting on each triangular plane, the number of planes used to discretize the slip surface, and Poisson’s ratio influence the computed factors of safety, but do not limit the successful application of the methodology.

Some difficulties associated with the limit equilibrium method of slices

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. H. Ching ◽  
D. G. Fredlund
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Stability Limit ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Method ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Side Force ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Methods ◽  
Equilibrium Method ◽  
The Stability

Several commonly encountered problems associated with the limit equilibrium methods of slices are discussed. These problems are primarily related to the assumptions used to render the inherently indeterminate analysis determinate. When these problems occur in the stability computations, unreasonable solutions are often obtained. It appears that problems occur mainly in situations where the assumption to render the analysis determinate seriously departs from realistic soil conditions. These problems should not, in general, discourage the use of the method of slices. Example problems are presented to illustrate these difficulties and suggestions are proposed to resolve these problems. Keywords: slope stability, limit equilibrium, method of slices, factor of safety, side force function.

Landslide Simulation Using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Method

2016 ◽  
Vol 857 ◽  
pp. 555-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuhayr Md Ghazaly ◽  
Mustaqqim Abdul Rahim ◽  
Kok Alfred Chee Jee ◽  
Nur Fitriah Isa ◽  
Liyana Ahmad Sofri
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Method ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Stability Of Slope ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Element Method

Slope stability analysis is one of the ancient tasks in the geotechnical engineering. There are two major methods; limit equilibrium method (LEM) and finite element method (FEM) that were used to analyze the factor of safety (FOS) to determine the stability of slope. The factor of safety will affect the remediation method to be underdesign or overdesign if the analysis method was not well chosen. This can lead to safety and costing problems which are the main concern. Furthermore, there were no statement that issued one of the analysis methods was more preferred than another. To achieve the objective of this research, the soil sample collected from landslide at Wang Kelian were tested to obtain the parameters of the soils. Then, those results were inserted into Plaxis and Slope/W software for modeling to obtain the factor of safety based on different cases such as geometry and homogenous of slope. The FOS obtained by FEM was generally lower compared to LEM but LEM can provide an obvious critical slip surface. This can be explained by their principles. Overall, the analysis method chosen must be based on the purpose of the analysis.

Determination of three-dimensional shape of failure in soil slopes

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 1283-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roohollah Kalatehjari ◽  
Ali Arefnia ◽  
Ahmad Safuan A Rashid ◽  
Nazri Ali ◽  
Mohsen Hajihassani
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Failure Surface ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
3D Shape ◽  
Finite Element Software ◽  
Soil Slopes ◽  
3D Slope Stability

This paper presents the application of particle swarm optimization (PSO) in three-dimensional (3D) slope stability analysis to determine the shape and direction of failure as the critical slip surface. A detailed description of adopted PSO is presented and a rotating ellipsoidal shape is introduced as the possible failure surface in the analysis. Based on the limit equilibrium method, an equation of factor of safety (FoS) was developed with the ability to calculate the direction of sliding (DoS) in its internal process. A computer code was developed in Matlab to determine the 3D shape of the failure surface and calculate its FoS and DoS. Then, two example problems were used to verify the applicability of the presented code, the first by conducting a comparison between the results of the code and PLAXIS-3D finite element software and the second by re-analyzing an example from the literature to find the 3D failure surface. In addition, a hypothetical 3D asymmetric slope was introduced and analyzed to demonstrate the ability of the presented method to determine the shape and DOS of failure in 3D slope stability problems. Finally, a small-scale physical model of a 3D slope under vertical load was constructed and tested in the laboratory and the results were re-analyzed and compared with the code results. The results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the presented code in determining the 3D shape of the failure surface in soil slopes.

A Comparative Study on Locating Critical Slip Surface in 2D and 3D Limit Equilibrium Stability Analysis of Slopes

2012 ◽  
Vol 446-449 ◽  
pp. 1905-1913
Author(s):  
Mo Wen Xie ◽  
Zeng Fu Wang ◽  
Xiang Yu Liu ◽  
Ning Jia
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Safety Factor ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Slope Stability Analysis ◽  
Equilibrium Stability ◽  
Critical Slip Surface ◽  
Minimum Safety Factor

The Various methods of optimization or random search have been developed for locating the critical slip surface of a slope and the related minimum safety factor in the limit equilibrium stability analysis of slope. But all these methods are based on a two-dimensional (2D) method and no one had been adapted for a search of the three-dimensional (3D) critical slip surface. In this paper, a new Monte Carlo random simulating method has been proposed to identify the 3D critical slip surface, in which assuming the initial slip to be the lower part of an ellipsoid, the 3D critical slip surface in the 3D slope stability analysis is located by minimizing the 3D safety factor of limit equilibrium approach. Based on the column-based three-dimensional limit equilibrium slope stability analysis models, new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) grid-based 3D deterministic limit equilibrium models are developed to calculate the 3D safety factors. Several practical examples, of obtained minimum safety factor and its critical slip surface by a 2D optimization or random technique, are extended to 3D slope problems to locate the 3D critical slip surface and to compare with the 2D results. The results shows that, comparing with the 2D results, the resulting 3D critical slip surface has no apparent difference only from a cross section, but the associated 3D safety factor is definitely higher.

Search of the Most Dangerous in Slide Slope Stability Analysis Based on Genetic Algorithm

2012 ◽  
Vol 166-169 ◽  
pp. 2535-2538
Author(s):  
Ke Wang ◽  
Chang Ming Wang ◽  
Fang Qi ◽  
Cen Cen Niu
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Method ◽  
Slope Stability Analysis ◽  
Equilibrium Method ◽  
The Stability

The traditional limit equilibrium method in the analysis of slope stability not only exists some subjective empirical hypothesis that can not meet the equilibrium of force and moment, but also ignores the effects of internal stress and strain on the slope stability. Furthermore, in the stability of the slope evaluation, limit equilibrium method relies too much on experience when hypothesizing the slope slip surface. So that it makes deviation on slope analysis and stability evaluation. This paper is based on simplified Bishop method used to establish the model of slope stability analysis. And it used genetic algorithms to solve the minimum safety factor and the most dangerous slip surface of slope. It was the arithmetic which simulates organisms genetic evolutionary process and it avoided the traditional methods falling into the local extreme value point easily and error propagation leading to convergence. The algorithm had advantages of higher accuracy, quick convergence and applicability. It showed that the genetic algorithm is accurate and reliable in the analysis of slope stability.

Analysis of a rock slope with internal dilation

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Martin ◽  
P. K. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Failure Mechanism ◽  
Rock Slope ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Back Analysis ◽  
Hydroelectric Project ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Methods ◽  
Slide Mass ◽  
Stability Of Slopes

A class of rock slope failures exists in which the mode of failure requires the existence or creation of internal shears to accommodate large internal slide mass distortion. These internal displacements are required to allow motion along the basal slip surface. This paper demonstrates that the more traditional limit equilibrium methods of analysis are often conservative when used to assess the stability of slopes with this failure mechanism. As a result, back analysis may overestimate the available shear resistance. A method of analysis capable of handling this failure mechanism was proposed by S. K. Sarma. A case history from the Revelstoke Hydroelectric Project, British Columbia, is used to demonstrate that these internal shears were required for movement to occur and that passive anchors inside the sliding rock mass can be used to improve the overall slope stability. No attempt is made to evaluate the actual factor of safety of the three-dimensional slide mass. Key words: rock slope, foliation shear, stability analysis, dilation, internal shears, passive anchors.

Comparing slope stability analysis using limit equilibrium and finite elements simulations of deep-seated landslides along the western margin of the Main Ethiopian Rift

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfay Kiros Mebrahtu ◽  
Thomas Heinze ◽  
Stefan Wohnlich
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Method ◽  
Strength Reduction ◽  
Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Seismic Load ◽  
Main Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
The Stability

<p>Landslides and ground failures are among the common geo-environmental hazards in many of the tectonically active hilly and mountainous terrains of Ethiopia, such as in the western margin of the Main Ethiopian Rift in Debre Sina area. Besides the geological preconditioning, bi-modal monsoon and seismic events in the tectonically highly active region are usually suspected triggers. In order to minimize the damage caused by the slope failure events, a detailed investigation of landslide-prone areas using numerical modelling plays a crucial role. The aim of this study is to assess the stability of slopes, to understand the relevant failure mechanisms, and to evaluate and compare safety factors calculated by the different available numerical methods. The stability was assessed for slopes of complex geometry and heterogeneous material using the limit equilibrium method and the shear strength reduction method based on finite elements. Furthermore, numerical analysis was done under static and pseudo-static loading using the horizontal seismic coefficient to model their stability during a seismic event. The slope stability analysis indicates that the studied slopes are unstable, and any small scale disturbance will further reduce the factor of safety and probably causing failure. The critical strength reduction factors from the finite element method are significantly lower than the factor of safety from the limit equilibrium method in all studied scenarios, such as Bishop, Janbu Simplified, Spencer and Morgenstern-Price. The difference is especially evident for heterogeneous slopes with joints, which often are initiation points for the failure planes. The simulations show that slope stability of landslide prone hills in the study area strongly depends on the saturation conditions and the seismic load. The studied slopes are initially close to failure and increased pore-pressure or seismic load are very likely triggers.</p>

scholarly journals Strain-dependent slope stability

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3111-3119
Author(s):  
Kornelia Nitzsche ◽  
Ivo Herle
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Shear Stresses ◽  
Safety Factors ◽  
Limit Equilibrium Methods ◽  
Hydraulic Conditions ◽  
Stress States ◽  
Strain Dependent

Abstract The state of equilibrium of a slope is usually interpreted and expressed by safety factors based on calculations with limit equilibrium methods. Different stress states, failure modes and hydraulic conditions in sections along a slip surface affect the development of shear stresses during slope movement. Moreover, a post-peak softening of the shear strength can have a pronounced impact. As a consequence of the latter effect, the mobilization of the shear resistance along the slip surface is non-uniform and the safety of the slope can be overestimated or underestimated. In the presented paper, an algorithm is proposed to capture the strain-dependent slope stability. The approach is illustrated by means of a calculation example for a slope with a planar slip surface where a block sliding is assumed.

Three-dimensional strength-reduction finite element analysis of slopes: geometric effects

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 574-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.-K. Nian ◽  
R.-Q. Huang ◽  
S.-S. Wan ◽  
G.-Q. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Slip Surface ◽  
Boundary Effect ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Strength Reduction ◽  
Infinite Length ◽  
Surface Geometry ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
The Stability

The vast majority of slopes, both natural and constructed, exhibit a complex geometric configuration and three-dimensional (3D) state, whereas slopes satisfying the assumption of plane strain (infinite length) are seldom encountered. Existing research mainly emphasizes the 3D dimensions and boundary effect in slope stability analysis; however, the effect of complex geometric ground configuration on 3D slope stability is rarely reported. In this paper, an elastoplastic finite-element method using strength-reduction techniques is used to analyze the stability of special 3D geometric slopes. A typical 3D slope underlain by a weak layer with groundwater is described to validate the numerical modeling, safety factor values, and critical slip surface for the 3D slope. Furthermore, a series of special 3D slopes with various geometric configurations are analyzed numerically, and the effects of turning corners, slope gradient, turning arcs, and convex- and concave-shaped surface geometry on the stability and failure characteristics of slopes under various boundary conditions are discussed in detail.

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