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A Simplified Method For 3D Slope Stability Analysis
A Simplified Method For 3D Slope Stability Analysis
e
F
Throughout this paper, the subscript e is used to indicate
the variables that are determined based on the reduced shear
strength parameters c
e
and
e
.
The following assumptions are made in the establishment
of the force and moment equilibrium equations (Fig. 2).
2003 NRC Canada
676 Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 40, 2003
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I:\cgj\CGJ40-03\T03-002.vp
Friday, May 16, 2003 10:42:27 AM
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(1) The horizontal shear forces, H, on the row-interfaces
(ABFE and DCGH in Fig. 2a) are neglected, i.e., the
intercolumn forces with inclinations of to the x-axis and
designated G, are assumed to be parallel to the xoy plane. It
is further assumed that is constant for all columns. This
treatment is therefore equivalent to that used in Spencers
(1967) method in two dimensions. Ignoring the horizontal
components of shear forces on the row-interfaces is a com-
mon assumption made to almost all of the 3D methods
appearing in the literature (refer to Table 1).
(2) Shear forces, P and V, applied to the column-interfaces
(ADHE and BCGF in Fig. 2) are neglected. Similar assump-
tions have been made by other researchers (e.g., Hungr et al.
1989; Huang and Tsai 2000).
(3) The shear force applied to any column base, T, is as-
sumed to be inclined at an angle of measured from the xoy
plane to the positive z-axis. For prisms in any column direc-
tion (i.e., those with constant z values), is taken to be con-
stant. In the z-direction, varies according to the following
two modes:
(a) Mode I: the direction of the shear forces on all of the
column bases is the same, i.e., | | = = constant (Fig. 3a).
(b) Mode II: the basal shear forces on the left and right
side of the central xoy plane take opposite directions and
vary linearly with respect to the z-axis, i.e., (Fig. 3b),
[3]
R
L
=
= <
z z
z z
0
0
The subscripts R and L indicate the right and left sides of
the xoy plane, respectively, is a coefficient of asymmetry,
and is an unknown involved in the force and moment equi-
librium equations. It determines the magnitude of for each
column after the solution is obtained.
The direction cosines of the shear force T, designated m
x
,
m
y
, m
z
, can be readily determined by the following equa-
tions:
[4]
m m m
m n m n m n
x y z
x x y y z z
2 2 2
1
0
+ + =
+ + =
and
[5] m
z
= sin
where n
x
, n
y
, n
z
are direction cosines of the normal to the
column base. There are two solutions to m
x
. The negative so-
lution should be rejected.
The force and moment equilibrium equations and their
solutions
The procedures for calculating the factor of safety are as
follows (refer to Fig. 4).
(1) Determine the normal force N
i
applied to each
column base
By projecting all of the forces in the direction S applied
to each column (that is perpendicular to the intercolumn
forces G), it is possible to calculate the normal force N
i
applied to each column base. As G
i
and G
i+1
, applied on the
front and rear row-interfaces, respectively, are assumed to be
parallel to the xoy plane and inclined at a constant angle of
, they do not appear in the projection. The shear forces on
the column-interfaces (ADHE and BCGF in Fig. 2), which
have been assumed to be zero, also do not appear. This
results in the following equation which involves only one
unknown, the normal force N
i
:
[6] + + W N n n
i i x y
cos ( sin cos )
+ + = T m m
i x y
( sin cos ) 0
The shear force, T
i
, on the column base can be determined
by application of MohrColoumbs failure criterion
[7] T N uA c A
i i i i
= + ( ) tan
e e
where u is the pore pressure at the column base (of area A
i
)
and W
i
is the weight of the column. The normal force N
i
applied to the column base can be consequently obtained
from
[8] N
i
=
W uA c A m m
n n
i i i x y
x y
cos ( tan ) ( sin cos )
sin
+ +
+
e e
cos tan ( sin cos ) + +
e
m m
x y
(2) Establish the force equilibrium equation in the other
two co-ordinate axes and the moment equilibrium
equation about the z-axis
By projecting the forces applied to the entire failure mass
in the direction S (i.e., in the G direction), we obtain
[9] S N n n
i x y i
= + [ ( cos sin )
+ + = T m m W
i x y i i
( cos sin ) sin ] 0
The overall force equilibrium in the z-direction requires
[10] Z N n T m
i z i z
= + = ( ) 0
Establishing the overall moment equilibrium equation
about the z-axis leads to
[11] M W x N n y
i i x
= [
+ + = N n x T m y T m x
i y i x i y
] 0
where x, y, z are co-ordinate values of the center of a column
base. Since the force equilibrium conditions for the three
2003 NRC Canada
Chen et al. 677
Fig. 1. Discretization of a failure mass.
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co-ordinate axes are all satisfied, eq. [11] can be established
around any arbitrary z- axis.
Equations [9], [10], and [11] are controlling equations for
solving for the factor of safety. A simple way of justifying
these equations is by summing up all of the dot products
made by the forces and their projection axis. The direction
cosines for the individual vectors are: (cos , sin, 0) for S;
(0, 1, 0) for W; (n
x
, n
y
, n
z
) for N; (m
x
, m
y
, m
z
) for T; and
( sin , cos , 0) for S.
(3) Solve for the factor of safety using the
NewtonRaphson method
There are three unknowns, namely F, , and (or k if
mode II for the distribution function of is used) involved in
eqs. [9], [10], and [11]. They can be obtained by application
of the NewtonRaphson method. Assuming a set of initial
guesses F
0
,
0
, and
0
normally gives nonzero values of S,
M, and Z from eqs. [9], [10], and [11]. The next set of the
unknowns, represented as F
1
,
1
and
1
, will make S, M,
and Z closer to zero if they are obtained by the following
equations (i = 0, at present):
[12] F F F
K
D
i i
= =
+1
F
[13]
= =
+ i i
K
D
1
[14]
= =
+ i i
K
D
1
where
[15] D
S
F
S S
M
F
M M
Z
F
Z Z
=
[16] K
S
S S
M
M M
Z
Z Z
F
=
K
S
F
S
S
M
F
M
M
Z
F
Z
Z
K
S
F
S
S
M
F
M
M
Z
F
Z
Z