Determining the Factors of Safety of Spatially Variable Slopes Modeled by Random Fields
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 12
Abstract
The merits of incorporating the spatial variability of soil properties into slope reliability analyses have been demonstrated by many researchers. However, the suitability of the use of limit equilibrium methods (LEMs) for calculating the minimum factor of safety (FS) of a spatially variable slope modeled by a random field is not well understood. The present paper investigates this topic by performing a series of analyses using circular and noncircular LEMs and a strength reduction method based on finite-element analysis (FE SRM). The LEMs are found to encounter three possible issues in random fields, including (1) noncircular slip surfaces, (2) a significant increase in the complexity of an optimization problem, and (3) failure to converge. The LEM analysis results in random fields can only be reliable when these three issues are adequately addressed. It is found that a noncircular rigorous LEM with a carefully selected interslice force function may work adequately in random fields. Moreover, the FE SRM is suitable for random field cases because of its robustness, accuracy, and versatility.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Q. Zhang (University of Essex), Dr. P. N. Suganthan (Nanyang Technological University), and Dr. Z. Yang (East China Normal University) for providing the source codes of CODE, CLPSO and DMS-PSO-SHS, and JACC-G, respectively. The support of RU grant (No. 1001/PAWAM/811214) from Universiti Sains Malaysia is gratefully acknowledged. The corresponding author (J. Ching) wishes to acknowledge the gracious support received from the National Science Council (NSC) of the Republic of China, under project NSC100-2628-E-002-040-MY3.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Pages: 2082 - 2095
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 11, 2012
Accepted: Apr 23, 2013
Published online: Apr 25, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
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