Strength Reduction Method for Slope Stability Analysis Based on a Dual Factoring Strategy
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 10
Abstract
A shear strength reduction method based on a dual factoring strategy was considered in which cohesion and the coefficient of internal friction were each reduced by a different factor. By using a strength reduction path introduced in the present study, series of numerical tests were conducted to bring the slope into different states of critical equilibrium through which definitions of the factor of safety and the strength reduction path adopted in some preceding studies were evaluated. This strategy was found to be more conservative than the traditional shear strength reduction method. Generally, the factor of safety defined in the limit equilibrium method should be adopted, and the most probable strength reduction path under the principle of the shortest path could be an effective approach to obtain the minimum value of the factor of safety directly. To implement this strategy, a mathematical model based on limit analysis solutions is proposed to describe the shear strength components of a slope under different critical equilibrium states, and a general computational procedure is outlined.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, which greatly improved the manuscript. The research support received from Beijing Training Project for the Leading Talent in S & T (Z151100000315014) is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18 • Issue 10 • October 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 31, 2017
Accepted: Apr 10, 2018
Published online: Jul 19, 2018
Published in print: Oct 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 19, 2018
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