Slope Stability

updated June 7, 2007

Haryo Dwito Armono, M.Eng, Ph.D

Types of Slope Failures
z Falls
z Topless
z Slides
z Spreads
z Flows

Falls Topless
z Slopep failures consisting
g z Similar to a fall,
of soil or rock fragments except that it begins with
that droprapidly down a a mass of rock of stiff
slope
l clay
l rotating
t ti away from
f a
z Most often occur in vertical joint
steep rock slopes
z Usually triggered by
water pressure or
seismic activity
Slides Spreads
z Slope
p failures that z Similar to translational
involve one ore more slides except that the
blocks of earth that block separate and
move downslope
d l b
by move apartt as they
th also
l
shearing along well move outward
defined surfaces or thin z Can be very destructive
shear zones

Flows Types of Slides

z Downslope p movement of z Rotational slides
earth where earth } Most often occur in
resembles a viscous homogeneous materials
fl id
fluid such as fills or soft clays

z Mudflow can start with a z Translational slides

snow avalanche,
avalanche or be in } Move along planar shear
surfaces
conjuction with flooding
z Compound slides
z Complex and composite
slides
z The drivingg force (g
(gravity)
y) overcomes the
resistance derived from the shear strength of
the soil along
g the rupture
p surface

Slope stability analysis

z Calculation to check the safety of natural
slopes, slopes of excavations and of
compacted
t d embankments.
b k t

z The check involves determining and

comparing the shear stress developed
de eloped
along the most likely rupture surface to
the shear strength of soil.
Factor of Safety
τf
Fs =
τd
Fs = factor of safety with respect to strength
τ f = average shear strength of the soil
τd = a
average
e age sshear
ea st
stress
ess de
developed
e oped a
along
o g tthe
e pote
potential
t a failure
a u e su
surface
ace

τ f = c + σ tan φ
c = cohesion
φ = angle of friction
σ = average normal stress on the potential failure surface

similarly
τ d = cd + σ tan φd
subscript
p 'd' refer to p
potential failure surface

c + σ tan φ
Fs =
cd + σ tan φd
when Fs = 1, the slope is in a state of impending of failure.
In general Fs > 1.5 is acceptable

Stability of Slope
z Infinite slope without seepage
z Infinite slope with seepage
z Finite slope with Plane Failure Surface
(Cullman's
(Cullman s Method)
z Finite slope with Circular Failure Surface
(Method of Slices)
 Infinite slope
L
c tan φ
β Fs = +
γ H cos2 β tan β tan β
d
a F
W
Na
B „ For granular soils,
soils c=0
c 0, Fs is independent
F Ta
c of height H, and the slope is stable as
H
long as β < φ
b Tr
β N
A r
R

d
Direction of

γ ' tan φ
a seepage
W c
Na
F =
Fs +
γ sat H cos2 β tan β γ sat tan β
B
Ta
c
H
T
β b r β N
A r
R

Finite slope with Plane Failure Surface

B C

W β + φd
Na
θcr =
Ta 2
τ f = c + σ tan φ
H unit weight of soil = γ

4c ⎡ sin β cos φ ⎤
Tr Nr
R
Hcr =
A
β θ γ ⎢⎣ 1 − cos(( β − φ ) ⎥⎦
 Finite slope with Circular Failure Surface
Slope Failure Shallow Slope Failure
O

Toe Circle

Firm Base
O
Base Failure
L L
O

Slope Circle
Midpoint circle
Firm Base Firm Base

Slopes in Homogeneous Clay (φ=0)

For equilibrium, resisting and driving moment about O:

τ f = cu
O
MR = Md
θ C D
c dr 2θ = W1l1 − W2 l 2
Radius = r
W l −W l
cd = 11 2 2 2 l2 l1 cd
rθ H
F
W1
A B
τf cu
Fs = = W2
cd cd cd Nr (normal reaction)
E cd
critical when Fs is minimum, → trials to find critical plane
solved analitically by Fellenius (1927) and Taylor (1937)

cu
Hcr =
γm
presented graphically by Terzaghi &Peck, 1967 in Fig 11.9 Braja
m is stability number
 Swedish Slip Circle Method

Slopes in Homogeneous Clay (φ>0)

τ f = c + σ tan φ

c d = γ H ⎡⎣f (α , β ,θ ,φ ) ⎤⎦

c
= f (α , β ,θ ,φ ) = m
γ Hcr
where m is stability number
 Method of Slices

For equilibrium
Nr = Wn cos α n

n=p

∑ ( c ΔL n + Wn cos α n tan φ )
Fs = n =1
n=p

∑W
n =1
n sin α n

bn
ΔLn ≈ where b is the width of nth slice
cos α n

Bishop Method
Bishop (1955) refine solution to the previous
method of slices.
In his method, the effect of forces on the sides
of each slice are accounted for some degree .

n=p
1
∑ ( cb
n =1
n + Wn tan φ )
mα ( n )
Fs = n=p

∑Wn =1
n sin α n

where
tan φ sin α n
mα ( n ) = cos α n +
Fs

The ordinary method of slices is presented as

learning tools.
tools It is rarely used because is too
conservative
Computer Programs
z STABL
z GEO-SLOPE
z etc

Bibliography
Holtz, R.D and Kovacs, W.D., “An
An Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering”
Das, B.M., “Soil Mechanics”
Das, B.M., “Advanced Soil Mechanics”