Reliability Back Analysis of the Parameters of Rock Landslides with the Nonlinear Hoek-Brown Failure Criterion
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 5
Abstract
Landslides are frequent and devastating geological hazards that cause significant economic and human losses annually. The selection of appropriate shear strength parameters is crucial for evaluating and preventing landslide failure. Considering the nonlinear characteristics of rock-mass material, a rock slope stability analysis model was built using the nonlinear Hoek‒Brown failure criterion. A Geological Strength Index–material constant (GSI–mi) curve, based on a deterministic method, was proposed to back analyzed the Geological Strength Index (GSI), which is consistent with a trial-and-error method, but simpler to implement. The back analysis can be extended to other parameters in addition to the GSI. Furthermore, considering the randomness and uncertainty, a reliability-based back analysis method for nonlinear strength parameters of the sliding surface was proposed. The optimal parameter combination that corresponded to the minimum reliability index was determined, which could serve as reasonable values of the nonlinear strength parameters for landslides. A comparison of different failure criteria also suggested that the stress level at the sliding surface should be accounted for in landslides using the significant nonlinear characteristics of strength parameters.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (2023JJ40078), the Scientific Research Project of Hunan Provincial Education Department (No. 22C0573), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51978666), and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Transportation Foundation (No. 2018-123-040). All financial support is greatly appreciated.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 5 • May 2024
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 21, 2023
Accepted: Nov 6, 2023
Published online: Mar 7, 2024
Published in print: May 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Aug 7, 2024
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