Hybrid Method for Analysis and Design of Slope Stabilizing Piles
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 1
Abstract
Piles are extensively used as a means of slope stabilization. Despite the rapid advances in computing and software power, the design of such piles may still include a high degree of conservatism, stemming from the use of simplified, easy-to-apply methodologies. This paper develops a hybrid method for designing slope-stabilizing piles, combining the accuracy of rigorous three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) simulation with the simplicity of widely accepted analytical techniques. It consists of two steps: (1) evaluation of the lateral resisting force ( ) needed to increase the safety factor of the precarious slope to the desired value, and (2) estimation of the optimum pile configuration that offers the required for a prescribed deformation level. The first step utilizes the results of conventional slope-stability analysis. A novel approach is proposed for the second step. This consists of decoupling the slope geometry from the computation of pile lateral capacity, which allows numerical simulation of only a limited region of soil around the piles. A comprehensive validation is presented against published experimental, field, and theoretical results from fully coupled 3D nonlinear FE analyses. The proposed method provides a useful, computationally efficient tool for parametric analyses and design of slope-stabilizing piles.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by the European Union Seventh Framework Research Project, funded through the European Research Council (ERC) Ideas Programme, in support of Frontier Research Advanced Grant (contract number UNSPECIFIEDERC-2008-AdG 228254-DARE).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 1 • January 2012
Pages: 1 - 14
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 20, 2009
Accepted: Apr 5, 2011
Published online: Apr 7, 2011
Published in print: Jan 1, 2012
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