New Instability Criterion for Stability Analysis of Homogeneous Slopes
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 20, Issue 5
Abstract
A new instability criterion based on the strength reduction method (SRM) is proposed, where the slope is in the limit equilibrium state when the critical slope contour determined by the slip-line field theory and the slope intersect at the toe of the slope. The proposed method was validated using a published case. Compared with the traditional instability criterion, the SRM with the displacement finite-element method, the SRM based on the Davis algorithm, and finite-element limit analysis, Spencer’s method, the proposed method is more suitable for slope stability analysis. The safety factor was calculated separately from the critical slip surface. As such, the critical slip surface is determined without involving an optimization or iteration. The proposed method recognizes the objective quantification of the instability criterion.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the 13th Five-Year Science and Technology Research Project of Jilin Province Education Department (No. JJKH20180450KJ).
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- c
- cohesion;
- c1
- reduced cohesion;
- E
- elastic modulus;
- F
- initial value of the reduction factor;
- Fi
- reduction factor;
- FS
- factor of safety;
- FS1
- factor of safety by the proposed method;
- H
- slope height;
- i, j
- natural numbers;
- M, Mα, Mβ,
- points on a slip line;
- Mb, Mij
- points on the critical slope contour;
- N
- total number of nodes;
- N1
- number of calculation steps;
- P
- load at the top of slope;
- Pmin
- minimum load at the top of slope;
- x, x1, xb, xij, xα, xβ,
- abscissa values;
- y, ymin, yb, yij, yα, yβ,
- ordinate values;
- α
- alpha family slip line or slope angle;
- β
- beta family slip line;
- ΔF
- increment of safety factor;
- Δx
- calculation step on the active zone boundary;
- δmax
- maximum displacement;
- γ
- unit weight;
- μ
- mean angle between two family slip lines;
- ν
- Poisson's ratio;
- φ
- internal friction angle;
- φ1
- reduced internal friction angle;
- σ, σb, σij, σα, σβ, , σI
- characteristic stresses;
- σ1
- maximum principal stress;
- θ, θb, θij, θα, θβ, , θI
- intersection angles between the maximum principal stress and the x-axis; and
- ψ
- dilatancy angle.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 20 • Issue 5 • May 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 26, 2018
Accepted: Oct 31, 2019
Published online: Mar 12, 2020
Published in print: May 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Aug 12, 2020
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