Slope,

Embankment, and
Excavation
Stability

1
2
 berms

Heave at toe

Landslide in man made Cut Slope at km

365 west of Sao Paolo - August 2002
berms

Steep scar to
rotational failure
 Man’s Influence (Agriculture /Development)

Drainage Pumping Construction Cut / Fill Slopes

Hydrology (rainfall) Earthquakes GIS Geology
Ground Ground Loading Erosion/Deposition
Water (Consolidation) Glaciation
Surface Material Properties Weathering
Water (Shear Strength) Geochemistry

Stability Assessment Slope Profile

Landslide
Preventive Slope Management
Measures
Design
Landslide Warning
Cost LANDSLIDE
Build No Danger Temporarily Safe Consequence
Remedial Remove
Safe at the moment Measures Consequence
Introduction – SLOPES

 Natural and/or man-made

 Slope, embankment and excavation stability

 • Cut and fill slopes (highways, railways,
buildings etc.)
• Retaining walls
• Shallow and deep foundations on slopes
• Landslides (why failure?, properties through
back-analysis, improving stability)
• Instability caused by liquefaction
6
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces

7
Factor of Safety, FS = FS

8
Factor of Safety, FS = FS
Typical minimum acceptable values of factor of
safety:

• ≈ 1.3
• for end of construction and multistage
loading

• 1.5
• for normal long-term loading conditions

• 1.1 to 1.3
• for infrequent rapid drawdown
• higher for frequent drawdown
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Factor of Safety, FS = FS

10
Infinite Slopes without Seepage

11
Infinite Slopes without Seepage

12
Infinite Slopes without Seepage

13 in equilibrium
Infinite Slopes without Seepage

If c' = 0
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Infinite Slopes with Seepage

If c' = 0

15
Finite Slopes – Failure Surfaces

Assume a failure surface where the

critical/lowest factor of safety occurs

• Planar – Cullmann’s method

• Circular

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Finite Slopes – Planar Failure Surfaces
(Cullmann’s Method)

Trial
plane

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Finite Slopes – Planar Failure Surfaces
(Cullmann’s Method)

18
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Stability Analyses

Limit equilibrium

21
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Mass Procedure (Homogeneous Clay)

W = W1 + W2

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m=stability number
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Mass Procedure (Homogeneous Clay)

23
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Mass Procedure (Homogeneous Clay)

24
Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Mass Procedure (c'-f' Soil)

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Mass Procedure (c'-f' Soil)

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Method of Slices (MOS/Ordinary MS)
NO PWP!
bn

Trial failure
surface
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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Method of Slices (MOS/Ordinary MS)
bn

DLn = bn/cosan

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Method of Slices (MOS/Ordinary MS)

Effective
stresses

Total
stresses

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Method of Slices (MOS/Ordinary MS)
STEADY-STATE
SEEPAGE!

Effective
stresses

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Finite Slopes – Circular Failure Surfaces
Method of Slices (Others)

• Bishop

• Spencer

• Janbu

• Morgenstern-Price

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Forces for Slices
Assumptions in LE Analyses
Characteristics of LE Methods