Three-Dimensional Stability of Two-Stage Slope in Inhomogeneous Soils
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17, Issue 7
Abstract
The three-dimensional (3D) stability calculations of soil slopes are often focused on homogeneous soils in the published literature. However, strength inhomogeneity is a common phenomenon in slope engineering. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of strength inhomogeneity on the seismic and static 3D stability of a two-stage slope. The soil is inhomogeneous in the vertical direction only, and the slope is subjected to the horizontal earthquake force. Using a 3D failure mechanism, the internal energy is only dissipated along the sliding surface. The external rate of work is done by the soil weight and the earthquake force. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, the slope stability problem is formulated as a classical nonlinear programming problem. Coding the corresponding computer program, the stability factors of inhomogeneous soil slopes are obtained. When the inhomogeneous coefficient is zero, the present results are compared with those previously published solutions. Based on the comparisons, the approach of this paper is effective for estimating the 3D stability. A study is conducted to investigate the effects of the inhomogeneous coefficient on seismic and static stability factors of a two-stage slope.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This paper has received financial support from the National Basic Research 973 Program of China (2013CB036004) and the National Natural Science Foundation (51378510), which is greatly appreciated.
References
Al-Shamrani, M., and Moghal, A. (2012). “Upper bound solutions for bearing capacity of footings on anisotropic cohesive soils.” GeoCongress 2012: State of the art and practice in geotechnical engineering, Geotechnical special publication 225, R. D. Hryciw, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, and N. Yesiller, eds., ASCE, Reston, VA, 1066–1075.
Al-Shamrani, M. A. (2005). “Upper-bound solutions for bearing capacity of strip footings over anisotropic nonhomogeneous clays.” Soils Found., 45(1), 109–124.
Camargo, J., Velloso, R. Q., and Vargas, E. A. (2016). “Numerical limit analysis of three-dimensional slope stability problems in catchment areas.” Acta Geotech., 11(6), 1369–1383.
Chen, W. F. (1975). Limit analysis and soil plasticity, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Davis, E. H., and Booker, J. R. (1973). “The effect of increasing strength with depth on the bearing capacity of clays.” Géotechnique, 23(4), 551–563.
Hungr, O. (1987). “An extension of Bishop’s simplified method of slope stability analysis to three dimensions.” Géotechnique, 37(1), 113–117.
Gourvenec, S., and Randolph, M. (2003). “Effect of strength non-homogeneity on the shape of failure envelopes for combined loading of strip and circular foundations on clay.” Géotechnique, 53(6), 575–586.
Griffiths, D. V., and Marquez, R. M. (2007). “Three-dimensional slope stability analysis by elasto-plastic finite elements.” Géotechnique, 57(6), 537–546.
Isakov, A., and Moryachkov, Y. (2014). “Estimation of slope stability using two-parameter criterion of stability.” Int. J. Geomech., 06014004.
Kuo, Y. L., Jaksa, M. B., Lyamin, A. V., and Kaggwa, W. S. (2009). “ANN-based model for predicting the bearing capacity of strip footing on multi-layered cohesive soil.” Comput. Geotech., 36(3), 503–516.
Li, A. J., Merifield, R. S., and Lyamin, A. V. (2010). “Three-dimensional stability charts for slopes based on limit analysis.” Can. Geotech. J., 47(12), 1316–1334.
Lim, K., Lyamin, A., Cassidy, M., and Li, A. (2015). “Three-dimensional slope stability charts for frictional fill materials placed on purely cohesive clay.” Int. J. Geomech., 04015042.
Michalowski, R., and Martel, T. (2011). “Stability charts for 3D failures of steep slopes subjected to seismic excitation.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 183–189.
Michalowski, R. L., and Drescher, A. (2009). “Three-dimensional stability of slopes and excavations.” Géotechnique, 59(10), 839–850.
Mollon, G., Phoon, K., Dias, D., and Soubra, A. (2010). “Validation of a new 2D failure mechanism for the stability analysis of a pressurized tunnel face in a spatially varying sand.” J. Eng. Mech., 8–21.
Murff, J. D., and Miller, T. W. (1977). “Foundation stability on nonhomogeneous clays.” J. Geotech. Eng., 103(10), 1083–1095.
Nian, T. K., Chen, G. Q., Luan, M. T., Yang, Q., and Zheng, D. F. (2008). “Limit analysis of the stability of slopes reinforced with piles against landslide in nonhomogeneous and anisotropic soils.” Can. Geotech. J., 45(8), 1092–1103.
Okamoto, S. (1956). “Bearing capacity of sandy soil and lateral earth pressure during earthquake.” Proc., 1st World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Berkeley, CA, 1–26.
Reddy, A. S., and Rao, K. N. (1981). “Bearing capacity of strip footing on anisotropic and nonhomogeneous clays.” Soils Found., 21(1), 1–6.
Tani, K., and Craig, W. H. (1995). “Bearing capacity of circular foundations on soft clay of strength increasing with depth.” Soils Found., 35(4), 21–35.
Toyota, H., Susami, A., and Takada, S. (2014). “Anisotropy of undrained shear strength induced by K0 consolidation and swelling in cohesive soils.” Int. J. Geomech., 04014019.
Yang, X. L., and Long, Z. X. (2016). “Seismic and static 3D stability of two-stage rock slope based on Hoek–Brown failure criterion.” Can. Geotech. J., 53(3), 551–558.
Zhou, X. P., and Cheng, H. (2014). “Analysis of stability of three-dimensional slopes using the rigorous limit equilibrium method.” Eng. Geol., 160(12), 21–33.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 19, 2016
Accepted: Oct 24, 2016
Published online: Dec 7, 2016
Discussion open until: May 7, 2017
Published in print: Jul 1, 2017
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.