Performance of Three-Dimensional Slope Stability Methods in Practice
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 124, Issue 11
Abstract
Study of several field case histories has shown that the difference between two- and three-dimensional factors of safety is most pronounced in cases that involve a translational failure. Two- and three-dimensional slope stability analyses of field case histories and a parametric study of a typical slope geometry revealed that commercially available three-dimensional slope stability programs have a number of limitations with respect to (1) accounting for the shear resistance along the sides of the sliding mass; (2) modeling the stress-dependent nature of failure envelopes of the materials involved; and (3) considering the internal forces in the slide mass. These limitations can significantly affect the calculated factor of safety for a translational failure mode. A technique is presented to overcome some of these limitations and provide a better estimation of the three-dimensional factor of safety. Field case histories are presented to show the importance of using a three-dimensional analysis in back-calculating the mobilized shear strength of the materials involved in a slope failure and in the design of slopes with complicated topography, shear strength conditions, and/or pore-water pressures.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 124 • Issue 11 • November 1998
Pages: 1049 - 1060
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Nov 1, 1998
Published in print: Nov 1998
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