Probabilistic Stability Analyses of Embankments Based on Finite-Element Method
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 11
Abstract
Conventional limit equilibrium methods are commonly used to assess the stability of embankments. The finite-element method, as an alternative to limit equilibrium methods, is being increasingly used in the deterministic stability analysis of slopes or embankments. In this paper, a practical procedure for integrating the finite-element method and the limit equilibrium methods into probabilistic stability analysis for embankments is presented. The response surface method is adopted to approximate the performance function for the stability problems and the first-order reliability method is used to calculate the reliability index based on an intuitive expanding ellipsoid perspective. The advantages of the response surface method as a bridge between stand-alone numerical packages and spreadsheet-based reliability analysis via automatic constrained optimization are demonstrated and discussed through a hypothetical two-layer slope and an actual case of the James Bay Dykes. The results show the ease and successful implementation of the proposed procedure for reliability analysis of embankments.
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Acknowledgments
The first writer would like to thank Nanyang Technological University, Singapore for providing research scholarship from September 2002 to September 2005.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 11 • November 2006
Pages: 1444 - 1454
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2005
Accepted: Apr 21, 2006
Published online: Nov 1, 2006
Published in print: Nov 2006
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