Session 8/8
The Factor of Safety with Respect to Sliding of a Mass of Soil
Along the Arc of a Logarithmic Spiral
Le coefficient de sécurité par rapport au glissement d’un massif de terre cohérente le long d’un
arc d’une spirale logarithmique
by O. K. F r ö h lic h , Professor at the Technische Hochschule, Vienna, Austria
Summary
This paper deals with the problem o f sliding o f a mass o f soil on
the following assumptions:—
(1) Coulomb’s law for the shearing resistance s along the sliding
surface
s = c + a tg <p
is valid, and
(2) The real sliding surface may be replaced by an arc o f a logarith­
mic spiral.
On the basis of the usual definition of the factor of safety S against
sliding, a simple graphical procedure is developed to find this factor
for constant friction <p and variable cohesion c along the sliding arc,
and a formula for S is given for constant values o f c and q>.
It is shown that the problem of sliding along a logarithmic spiral
is kinematically indeterminate, whereas the problem of sliding along
an arc of a circle is statically indeterminate.
I n tro d u c tio n
Literature on the problem of sliding of masses of soil along
arcs of various curves is rather abundant. The most practical
procedures for computing the critical height or slopes and the
factor of safety against sliding are presented in every good
handbook on soil mechanics of recent date. Stability computa­
tions are generally based on the assumption that the real sur­
face of sliding may be replaced by an arc of a circle, in order
to simplify them. Up to a short time ago the logarithmic spiral
as a profile of the sliding surface has been used only for
cases where the factor of safety is equal to unity, e.g. for com­
putations of the critical height of slopes. In the following, the
problem of computing the factor of safety with respect to
sliding along an arc of a logarithmic spiral will be considered.
230
Sommaire
Le présent rapport s’occupe du problème du glissement d’un mas­
sif de terre cohérente en supposant que:
Io La loi de Coulomb pour la résistance s au cisaillement de la ma­
tière le long de la surface de glissement
s = c + a tg ç;
soit valable.
2° La surface vraie de glissement puisse être remplacée par un arc
de spirale logarithmique.
Nous basant sur la définition généralement adaptée du coefficient
S de sécurité contre le glissement, nous avons établi a) un simple
procédé graphique pour déterminer ce coefficient si l’angle q> de
résistance au cisaillement est constant et si la cohésion c est variable
le long de l’arc de glissement, et b) une formule pour S si les deux
valeurs <p et c sont constantes. Nous avons montré que le problème
de glissement le long d’une spirale logarithmique est cinématique-
ment indéterminé, tandis que le problème de glissement le long d’un
arc de cercle est statiquement indéterminé.
A d a p ta b ility o f th e L o g a rith m ic S p ira l to th e P ro b le m o f
C o m p u tin g th e F a c t o r o f S a fe ty A g a in s t S lid in g
One of the conspicuous properties of the logarithmic spiral
is the fact, that the normal at every point on it makes a constant
angle <p with the radius vector from the asymptotic point
(“ centre”) to the point considered. This angle <p is a charac­
teristic for the form of the spiral, which follows the equation
r = r i e?tg v .. . . . . .. ( 1)
Notations:
r variable radius vector _
/•[ radius vector of the begin point B of an arc BA (Fig. 1)
I variable angle between the radii and r
<p characteristic o f the form o f the spiral
e base o f N aperian logarithms
r2 radius vector o f the end-point A o f the arc BA o f the spiral
nu n, « 2 normals referring to the radii r u r, r2
a angle between r± and r2.
By em ploying (1) to the starting point B and the end-point A
o f the arc B A o f the spiral w e get
for f = 0 the identity rL = rt ......................................
for i = a r2 = r *tg ^ ...............................................
If we place a cylindrical surface with the base BA according
to Fig. 1 into a cohesionless mass o f soil in such a way that at
every point o f this surface the lim iting equilibrium prevails,
which is characterized by the condition (Coulomb, Rankine)
Fig. 1 Characteristic Feature o f the Logarithmic Spiral and Sectorial
Area O B X A O = F
La caractéristique de la spirale logarithm ique et la surface du
secteur O B X A O = F
s = a tg <p . . . . .................................................................. (4)
(s = shearing resistance, a = norm al stress, <p = angle o f
shearing resistance), the oblique stress at every elem ent o f the
cylindrical surface BA passes through the centre o f the lo g a ­
rithmic spiral o f which the arc BA form s a part. F or this
reason the logarithm ic spiral may be advantageously em ployed
in stability investigations o f cohesionless masses o f soil, for
instance, for com putations o f the passive earth pressure.
Under these circum stances the characteristic (p o f the lo g a ­
rithmic spiral is identical with the angle o f shearing resistance
o f the soil. Therefore, for a given angle o f shearing resistance
o f the soil only- one o f the infinitely great number o f spirals
can be used. A lso, if the soil follow s Coulomb's equation
s = c + a tg < p ..........................................................................
the above stated fact that the oblique stresses pass through the
centre 0 o f the spiral, remains valid.
It m ay be m entioned that in the case <p = 0 (soil with co­
hesion only) ( 1 ) leads to
r = r l ............................................................................................
This is the equation o f a circle with the radius rlt into which
the logarithmic spiral degenerates.
W hilst the oblique stresses passes through the centre o f the
logarithmic spiral with the characteristic <p, these stresses enve­
lope a circle with the radius
rf = r t sin <p ..........................................................................
when replacing the real sliding surface by a circular cylinder r u
the well known (friction circle-m ethod). In this case, the dis­
tribution o f the normal stresses a along the circular arc plays
a certain part, and the problem becom es in this way statically
indeterminate, whereas the logarithmic spiral m ethod is a sta­
tically determ inate one. This is the second reason, why the
logarithmic spiral m ethod deserves attention.
Factor o f Safety with Respect to Sliding
The generally accepted definition o f the factor o f safety with
respect to sliding o f a mass o f soil along any profile o f the slid­
ing surface is given by the equation:
0 M resisting , os
— -iT 7--------
/ « d r iv in g
'' ' '
in which:
(2 )
^resisting signifies the m om ent o f all resisting forces acting
(3)
upon the sliding mass along the sliding surface, turning about
an axis, w hose location is com patible with the start o f the
sliding movem ent. These forces are the sum o f frictional,
cohesional and normal stresses.
Miriving signifies the m om ent o f all the other forces acting
upon the sliding mass above the sliding surface, turning about
the sam e axis. These forces are: ow n weight, hydrostatic up­
lift, surcharges, seepage pressure, earthquake action, etc.
In case o f a circular sliding surface there is no doubt which
point o f the cross-section o f the sliding mass m ay be considered
as the centre o f ro tation : that is the centre o f the circle itself.
However, it is a fallacy to assume, in case o f a sliding surface
o f spiral shape, that the rotation centre be identical w ith the
asym ptotic point o f the curve. This error is responsible for
published com putation results not agreeing with reality.
This question may be elucidated by considering Fig. 2.
The surface elem ent at B can only rotate about its centre o f
curvature, that is point Oj, the elem ent at A about Q 2 and ele­
ment at fi about 0^. The points 0^ 0,,, 0 2 are located at the
evolute o f the given logarithm ic spiral, which is also a loga­
rithmic spiral with the characteristic q>.
Fig. 2 Location o f the Centre o f Curvature Belonging to an Element
(5) o f the Sliding Surface
Situation du centre de la courbe pour un élém ent de la surface
de glissement
If the cohesion o f the sliding mass o f soil is n ot too sm all,
a rotation axis will exist som ewhere between 0 L and 0 2, but
( 6)
it is not sure that it is located at the evolute 0 lf 02. A s an
approxim ation one may assume that it is located in the neigh­
bourhood o f the point 0^ for ft = i- From this consideration
w e can conclude that the logarithm ic spiral m ethod o f com ­
puting the factor o f safety involves a kinem atical indetermi­
nateness.
(7) Therefore, we can state:
The friction circle m ethod has the disadvantage that the
distribution o f the normal stresses along the sliding surface is
unknown, w hilst the logarithm ic spiral method is afflicted with
the disadvantage o f the centre o f rotation being unknown. Both
procedures are only suitable for giving a lower and an upper
lim it o f the factor o f safety with respect to sliding, and an
approxim ate average value o f it,
231
The Graphical Logarithmic Spiral Method
Fig. 3 represents the cross-section o f a slope, w hose risk
against sliding along an arc A B o f a logarithmic spiral may be
studied.
N otations:—
R resultant o f all (driving) forces acting upon the sliding mass
above arc A B ; this force is considered to be given;
R c resultant o f the cohesional stresses c ■ds acting upon the
sliding mass along arc A B at the instant when sliding be­
gins ; this available resistance may be determined by means
o f a polygon o f forces
<p angle o f shearing resistance (constant)
c cohesion (variable along AB)
ds surface elem ent along AB
Q resultant o f all oblique stresses along the sliding surface A B
at the first m om ent o f sliding; this force passes through the
asym ptotic point 0 o f the logarithmic spiral.
Fig. 3 a Forces R, R c and Q Acting U pon the Sliding Mass; Approxi­
mate Location o f its Centre o f Rotation
Les forces R, R c et Q s’appliquent au m assif de terre glissant;
situation approximative de son centre de rotation
Fig. 36 Polygon o f the Forces R, Rc and Q
Polygone des forces R, Rc et Q
A t the instant o f the beginning o f the slide the forces R , Rc
and Q acting upon the sliding mass o f soil must be in equi­
librium, therefore, the polygon o f forces Fig. 3 b must be closed
and, also, the three forces must have a point o f intersection in
com m on. The polygon o f forces furnishes magnitude and
direction o f Q ; the straight line through the centre 0 parallel
to Q intersects R c at the point £ ; from this it follow s that the
three forees R, R c and Q are not in equilibrium or, in other
words, sliding cannot occur. T o achieve this, force R must be
moved parallel to itself to the right over a distance e. The
force R at its new location will be called R e. Expressed statically,
we have to join a m om ent R e ■e to the system o f the forces
R , R c, Q in order to produce sliding.
Let be 0/; the centre o f rotation, com patible with the given
circumstances, the m om ent R a 0 must be increased by R e • e to
m obilise the available resistances R c and Q.
The equilibrium o f the system R „ R c, Q requires that the
sum o f the m om ents o f the three forces about every poin t o f
232
the cross-section plane becomes zero. Therefore, taking the
m om ents about the center 0 ,, o f rotation we get:
R e(a + e) = Q - q + R c -Qc ...................................... (9)
In this equation
a signifies the distance from R
qc signifies the distance 0,, from R c
q signifies the distance 0,, from Q.
From the above it follow s, that
Re = R ................................................................................... ( 10)
According to the definition o f the factor S o f safety (Equa­
tion 8) we have:
R c ■q c + Q ■q
s = (11)
Ra
By substituting the right-hand side o f Equation (9) into (11)
and taking into account ( 10 ), we obtain:
S = * < « + « > = 1. +. -« (12)
Ra a
The distances e and a can be taken from Fig. 3 a. Equation
( 1 2 ) represents the result o f the graphical logarithmic spiral
m ethod o f com puting the factor o f safety against sliding o f a
mass o f soil. The centre 0^ o f rotation may be chosen at the
arc 0 1; 0 2 o f the evolute o f the given logarithmic spiral accord­
ing to Fig. 2. (C hoose point n at the arc A B, for instance at
the axis o f symmetry o f the angle a between 0 A and 0 B , trace
the radius vector — 0 and erect the normal to this radius
at 0 ; where this normal intersects the normal to the tangent
T at n, is the average location o f the centre o f rotation o f the
sliding mass, which is sufficiently accurate for the purpose in
view.)
T h e A n a ly tic a l L o g a rith m ic S p ira l M e th o d
M any foundation engineers prefer to have a form ula for the
factor o f safety instead o f being com pelled to work out the
m ost simple graphical solution.
If the cohesion c along the arc A B be constant, the resultant
R c, o o f the cohesional stresses can be computed (Fig. 4).
On this simplifying assum ption R c, 0 is parallel to the chord
A B = s, because chord s and arc A B together represent the
polyon o f forces for com puting R c, 0. W e read from Fig. 4
R c, o = s c ................................................................................... (13)
The elem ent ds o f the arc follow s from
ds cos <p = r d i
(14)
COS <f
where f is the angle between r l and r (r = radius vector o f ds).
Fig. 4 Resulting Cohesional Force RCIIA B on the Assumption o f C on­
stant c along the Arc A B
La résultante RCHAB des forces de cohésion à condition que
celle-ci soit constante le long de l’arc A B
 From Equation (1) (equation o f the logarithm ic spiral) we get
r = r 1et i ^ .......................................................................... (15)
The resultant R c, „ produces a m om ent about the center 0
o f R Cl o • qc, 0; the sum o f the m om ents about the sam e point
o f the elementary cohesional forces c ■ds is
c ■d sr cos (p.
where F signifies the hatched area O B X A O in Fig. 1, which
m ay be easily checked by means o f the Equation (1) o f the
logarithm ic spiral. Therefore, we get the follow ing relation:
M 0 = R - a 0 = 2 c ■F ........................................................ (27)
In w ords: The m om ent M 0 o f R about the centre o f the loga­
rithmic spiral varies in proportion with the area F, when the
factor o f safety 5 equals unity. The factor o f proportionality

=/*
is the double cohesion ( 2 c).
1 0
By equalling these two expressions and taking into account
Equation (14) and (15), w e receive:

R c. o ■e C.O = C rl 2 f v .d t (16)

and with Equation (13)

2 2
H — ri
Qc, o — ~ : (17)
2 s tg <p
The equilibrium o f the forces R e, R c, 0, Q requires that
£ M 0 = 0. W ith R e = R we get from Fig. 3
R (a 0 + e) = R c,o ■Qc.o ......................................... (18)
and Fig. 5 Scheme o f the Values R, a0, ru r2, a and p Connected with Each
Rc. o ' Qc.o other and with the Characteristic ii o f the Centre o f Rotation
(19) by Equation (24)
R
Représentation des valeurs R , a0, rlt r2, a et P étant reliées entre
Equations (13) and (17) furnish: elles et avec la caractéristique ¡i du centre de rotation par l’équa­
c(f$ — r?) tion (24)
(20)
2 tg y
Therefore (Equation 19): In this case (5 = 1) the location o f the centre 0^ o f rotation
c jr l-r l) p la ys no p a rt whatever.
(19a)
2 R tg <p a° II. If the mass o f soil is cohesionless, we have c = 0 and
Substituting (19 a) into Equation (12) w e receive the factor from Equation (27) it follow s that for S = 1 :
o f safety: a0 = 0 ................................................................................... (28)
c tf-r l) In words: For a cohesionless mass o f soil the limiting equi­
■Co librium is reached, when R passes through the centre 0 o f the
2 R tg <p
S= 1 + (21) logarithmic spiral.
If a0 > 0 the resultant R is located to the right o f 0 in
Between a and a0 there is, according to Fig. 3, the follow ing Fig. 5 and it results S < 1 from Equation (24) with c = 0.
relation: If a0 < 0 the resultant R is located at the left from 0 in
a = aa + rM• tg <p • sin (> a + /S) ...................................... (2 2 ) Fig. 5 and it we get S > 1 from Equation (24) with c = 0.
where /3 is the angle between rx and the normal to the direction III. If the mass o f soil does not possess any frictional re­
o f R. sistance, thus <p = 0 , the logarithmic spiral degenerates into a
From Equation (1) we draw: circle (r0) and Equation (24) gives:
r/1 = r 1 - e"01*«’ .......................................................................... (23) c
2
r i — r(
2

and by substituting “ a ” from Equation (22) and r^ from Equa­ S = lim (29)
< = o R a0
p 2 tg q>
tion (23) into Equation (21) we get the expression:
2 2
A ccording to Equation (26), we have:
c r 2 — rj
c
R ' 2 tg <p 5 =
5= 1 + ------------ (24) R ao UIQ
a 0 + r1elia^'p • tg <p ■sin (/iu + j3) The area F0 o f a sector a o f a circle (r0) is F0 = ——
In practical cases the values if c and <p are know n from
By substituting this value into Equation (29) w e obtain:
laboratory investigations. The angles a, /?, the distances r u r2,
a r lc
a0 and the force R are represented in Fig. 5. The value o f ¡x S = (30)
which determinates the location o f the center o f rotation varies R a0
from zero to unity, being the extreme lim its. For practical This is a well know n form ula com puted by the “ q> = 0 ”
com putations the average value fi = 0.5 gives plausible results. analysis on the assumption that the sliding surface is a circular
The discussion o f Equation (24) leads to the follow ing facts: cylinder. A graphical and an analytical procedure for com ­
I. If the m om ents Afresisting and M oving are equal, the factor puting the factor o f safety against sliding o f masses o f soil on
S o f safety becomes unity. In this case the denom inator o f the the assum ption, that the real sliding surface can be replaced
fraction at the right-hand side o f Equation (24) must disappear, by a circular cylinder, on the basis o f Equation (12) have re­
therefore: cently been published by the author. All com putation m ethods
referring to the risk o f sliding must be considered to be rough
c ' ' a - ' -?
estimates, as, up to the present time, it is alm ost im possible to
R 2 tg < p
ascertain exactly the m agnitude o f the shearing resistance and
The expression
its com ponents (friction and cohesion) o f the soil along the
r l-r ?
= 2F (26) sliding surface at the first instant o f sliding.
2tg q>
233