Assessment of Slope Stability

Assessing the stability of slopes is a difficult task that requires a rigorous approach. This paper starts by presenting a geotechnical characterization of slope movements that helps in classifying the information related to slopes. The paper then shows the tremendous progresses that have recently been made for monitoring slopes, understanding slope behavior, and for numerically simulating coupled hydro-mechanical problems in saturated/unsaturated soils. A methodology for assessing the stability of slopes is presented. It includes qualitative and quantitative approaches and, separately, the characterization of the post-failure stage. Finally, there is some discussion on the use of factor of safety, use of numerical models and consideration of risk.