LAUSR

AbstractThe analysis of slope stability problems in engineering practice requires considerable attention for the three-dimensional (3D) effect of plan curvature of the slope. This paper quantifies this effect by a dimensionless parameter of the relative curvature radius of the slope (R/H) and proposes a set of 3D stability charts that can be used to estimate the factor of safety (FOS) of convex and concave slopes in plan view with homogeneous soil, extending those currently regularly used for 3D straight slope stability evaluations. To simplify the computational process, an alternative way to perform the FEM with the strength-reduction technique is used herein in the slope stability analysis. The strength-reduction analysis results in this paper together with results of other researchers were found to bracket the FOS to within ±5% or better and therefore can be used to benchmark the solutions of other methods. Changing the relative curvature radius of the slope (R/H) shows that concave slopes are more sta...