CA4665

GEOTECHNICAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

Lecture 11
Slope Stability (II)
Limit Equilibrium Methods

By Dr. Jeff Wang

 Limit Equilibrium Methods of Slope
Stability Analysis Fundamentals

All the methods are based on the static equilibrium conditions of

interslice forces, moments, or overall moment. Part or all of these
static equilibrium conditions are satisfied in different methods, which
make different assumptions about the interslice forces.
 Limit Equilibrium Methods
Background and History
Fellenius (1936), Ordinary or Swedish method of slices
Janbu (1954) and Bishop (1955), advanced the method (Bishops
modified method, Janbus simplified method)
Advent of electronic computers in the 1960s greatly enhance the
development of the method
More mathematically rigorous methods:
Morgenstern and Prices method (1965)
Spencers method (1967)
Modern limit equilibrium software such as SLOPE/W makes it
possible to analyze ever-increasingly complex problems
 Limit Equilibrium Methods of Slope
Stability Analysis Methods of Slices
Free body diagram for slice i

N slices in total O Radius = r

D Ei-1
C Wi
Ei
di
i
H ili
f = c' + 'tan' ili= (i'+ui)li
Wi
Ei-Ei-1 ili
A B
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li

How to calculate i' (or i) ? ili Wi

i
This is where the different methods of analysis differ.
 Limit Equilibrium Methods of Slope
Stability Analysis Methods of Slices
ili
Ei-1 Ei-Ei-1
Wi i-1
i
yi Ei yi-1 ili Wi
i i
ili=(c'li+i'tan'li)/FS
ili= (i'+ui)li

All methods satisfy force and moment equilibrium conditions (except OMS).
Unknown Equations Different methods make
N-1 Ei N horizontal force different assumptions to
N-1 i N vertical force eliminate the additional N-2
N i N moment unknowns so that the
N-1 yi 3N problem can be solved
1 FS analytically.
4N-2
 Limit Equilibrium Methods of Slope
Stability Analysis Methods of Slices

Ordinary method of slice (OMS)

Bishops modified method of slices (BMM)
Janbus simplified method
Lowe & Karafiaths method
Spencers method
Morgenstern and Prices method
 Ordinary Method of Slices (OMS)

1. Assumes the side force Ei-Ei-1 is parallel to the base

of the slice;
2. Considers ONLY moment equilibrium by setting the
total moment about the circle center to be zero;
3. DOES NOT satisfy force equilibrium;
4. Low estimations of ' (or );
5. Low FS (very conservative);
6. Applies only for circles.
 Ordinary Method of Slices (OMS)
For simplicity, we assume pore pressure is equal to zero.
Since Ei-Ei-1 is parallel to the base of the slice, we have
W cos i W cos i
Effective normal stress i = i Shear strength f = c + i tan i
li li
f W cos i
Developed shear stress i = = c + i tan i FS
FS li
N slices in total O Radius = r
D
C
Ei-1
di Wi
Ei

H
i
f = c' + 'tan' ili
Wi i'li
A B
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
 Ordinary Method of Slices (OMS)
N
For moment
Moment equilibrium,
equilibrium M O = 0,
aboutweO,have ( l r W d ) = 0
i =1
i i i i

which is
Factor of safety
N 1 Wi cos i

c +
tan i li r Wi r sin i = 0 N
i =1 FS li (cl + W cos
i i i tan i )
FS = i =1
N

N slices in total
O
di = rsini
W sin
i =1
i i

D
C
Radius = r
Ei-1
Wi
H Ei
f = c' + 'tan'
i
Wi ili
A B
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS i'li

li
 Ordinary Method of Slices (OMS)
For moment equilibrium, we have
In the case of steady state seepage, Factor of safety
the average pore water pressure at
the base of each slice needs to be N

accounted for. [cl + (W cos

i i i ui li ) tan i ]
FS = i =1
N

W sin
i =1
i i
di = rsini
N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r
Ei-1
Phreatic surface Wi
H Ei

f = c' + 'tan'
i
Wi ili
A B
i = (ci' + itani')/FS ili= (i'+ui)li

li
 Example Problem 1
For the slope shown below, find the factor of safety against sliding for
the trial slip surface AC using the ordinary method of slices.
 Bishops Modified Method (BMM)

1. Assumes the side force Ei-Ei-1 is horizontal;

2. Satisfies overall moment equilibrium around center;
3. Satisfies individual slice vertical force equilibrium;
4. DOES NOT satisfies individual slice horizontal force
equilibrium;
5. DOES NOT satisfies individual slice moment equilibrium;
6. Better estimations of ' (or ) than OMS;
7. Requires iteration to solve for FS;
8. Applies only for circles.
 Bishops Modified Method (BMM)
Considering the case of steady-state seepage
bi ili
Ei-Ei-1

Ei-1 i'li
Ei Wi
Wi
i
li i u i li
ili=(c'li+i'litani')/FS
ili= (i'+ui)li
Vertical force equilibrium of slice i,

Wi = i li cos i + i li sin i , i.e., Wi = (i + ui )li cos i +

(cli + ili tan i ) sin
i
FS
wi ui li cos i cli sin i FS
So we have i li =
cos i + tan i sin i FS
 Bishops Modified Method (BMM)
N
For moment
Moment equilibrium,
equilibrium M O = 0,
aboutweO,have ( l r W d ) = 0
i =1
i i i i

Factor of safety N where

(cbi + (Wi uibi ) tan i )
1
m( )i tan i sin i
FS =
i =1
m( )i = cos i +
N FS
W sin
i =1
i i
Need iteration to find
the correct FS.
di = rsini
N slices in total bi
O
D
C
Radius = r
Ei-1
Ei Wi

H
f = c' + 'tan' li i
Wi ili=(c'li+i'litani')/FS
A B
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS ili= (i'+ui)li

li
 Bishops Modified Method (BMM)
For moment
the case equilibrium,
of dry slope,we have
Factor of safety N where
(cbi + Wi tan i )
1
m( )i tan i sin i
FS =
i =1
m( )i = cos i +
N FS
W sin
i =1
i i
Need iteration to find
the correct FS.
di = rsini
N slices in total bi
O
D
C
Radius = r
Ei-1
Ei Wi

H
f = c' + 'tan' li i
Wi ili=(c'li+i'litani')/FS
A B
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS i'li

li
Bishops Modified Method (BMM)
 Example Problem 2
For the slope in cohesionless soil under shown below, find the factor of
safety against sliding along the slip surface using the Bishops modified
method of slices.
Steady state seepage, sat = 18kN/m3, c = 0, ' = 33, and assuming the
soil above the phreatic surface to be saturated.
 Example Problem 2
Solution: Redraw the figure to scale as below, and divide the sliding
mass into 9 slices.
 Janbus Simplified Method

Assumes = 0

N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r

Ei
H

f = c' + 'tan'

A B Wi
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
 Lowe & Karafiaths Method
Assumes in each slice that the value of is equal to the average of
the slopes of slip surface and ground surface.

N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r

Ei
H

f = c' + 'tan'

A B Wi
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
 Spencers Method
Assumes the side forces for all the slices are the same, which means,
all the values of are the same.

This assumption eliminates N-2 unknowns, and makes the problem

solvable.
N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r

Ei
H

f = c' + 'tan'

A B Wi
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
 Morgenstern & Prices Method
Assumes the pattern of values can be described by a function f(x),
i.e,
= f(x),
Where is a unknown constant to be solved, and f(x) is the pattern
function assumed to be known.
This assumption also eliminates N-2 unknowns.

N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r

Ei
H

f = c' + 'tan'

A B Wi
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
 Comments about Equilibrium Methods

Horizontal
Individual
moment

moment

Vertical
Overall

force

force
slice
Method Assumptions Comments

Swedish Y N N N Slip surface is circular Only for = 0

circle
Ordinary Y N N N Slip surface is circular, Conservative
method of P = Wcos Very inaccurate for flat slopes with high pore
slices pressures
Bishops Y N N Y Slip surface is circular Accurate
modified Side forces are horizontal Some numerical problems
method
Janbus Y Y Y Y Vertical locations of side Over-determined set of equations
method forces on slice boundaries Frequent numerical problems
Morgenstern Y Y Y Y Pattern of side force Much engineering time is needed if f(x) is
and Prices inclinations f(x) at each varied to achieve good internal stresses. FS
method inter-slice boundary is not much affected by f(x)
Spencers Y Y Y Y Side forces are parallel Simplest method that satisfies all conditions
method of equilibrium
Lowe and N N Y Y Side force inclinations are Best overall side force assumption, but not as
Karafiaths average of slope and slip good as complete methods
method surface
Janbus N N Y Y Side forces are horizontal Low FS resulting from horizontal side forces
simplified Empirical correction factor is often applied to
method FS
Comments about Equilibrium Methods
1. For all the limit equilibrium methods, if we satisfy all conditions
of equilibrium, what assumptions we use is not important.
2. The steeper the side forces in the force equilibrium method, the
higher the factor of safety.

N slices in total
O
D
C
Radius = r

Ei
H

f = c' + 'tan'

A B Wi
i = (ci' + i'tani')/FS

li
Comments about Equilibrium Methods
Accuracy is greatly affected by the accuracy with which shear
strength can be evaluated, which is a separate issue from the
following conclusions related to the accuracy of the mechanics of
the methods.
1. Any method that satisfies overall moment equilibrium is accurate
for = 0 analyses with circular slip surfaces.
2. OMS is conservative gives low FS.
For total stress analyses, the difference from more accurate
methods can be expected to be less than 10%.
For effective stress analyses, the difference from more accurate
methods is greater in extreme cases of flat slopes with high
pore pressures, the OMS factor of safety may be low by a factor
of 2 (i.e., FS = 1.0 when the correct answer is FS = 2.0)
Comments about Equilibrium Methods
3. BMM is accurate for both total and effective stress analyses. Its
limitation is that it is only applicable for circular slip surfaces. We
only need other methods for analyses of circles when numerical
problems arise with BMM.
Numerical problems with BMM can be recognized by the factor
that the factor of safety is smaller than the OMS factor of safety.
In these cases, use OMS or another method.
4. Complete methods, that satisfy all conditions of equilibrium
(Spencer, M&P, Janbu), are accurate for any condition, and can
be used for circular and non-circular slip surfaces.
These methods involve iterative techniques to solve
simultaneous equations, and are prone to numerical problems
(non-convergence) .
Comments about Equilibrium Methods
5. Force equilibrium methods can be used for circular and non-
circular slip surfaces.
Factors of safety calculated using these methods depend
strongly on the assumed inclinations of the side forces. In
general, the Low & Karafiathes assumption is best, but it is
preferable to use complete methods where side force
inclinations are determined by the requirements of moment
equilibrium.
Limitations of Limit Equilibrium Methods
Sources of all limitations: Lacking of consideration of the stress-
strain constitutive behavior of soils Missing Physics
Major consequences and limitations:
1. Unrealistic stress distribution
2. Displacement incompatibility
3. A same FS for all the slices
4. Convergence problems with lateral loads resulting from
reinforcements
5. Difficulties in soil-structure interaction problems
Solutions to the above limitations: Make finite element analysis (e.g.,
SIGMA/W) or other advanced numerical analysis
Examples of Stress Distribution
Examples of Stress Distribution
 Slip Surface Shapes

Circular slip surface

Planar slip surface
Composite slip surface (combination of a arc and a planar surface)
Block slip surface

Different shapes of slip surface have significant influences on the force

and moment equilibrium conditions of slices. Therefore, FS given by
different methods having different assumptions of interslice forces
are very sensitive to the slip surface shapes.

In SLOPE/W, the optimization technique can be used to search the

actual slip surface shape that yields the minimum FS.