Slope Stability

Front 1

What types of Slope Failures are common in soils?

Back 1

Translational slide : Movement of soil along a thin layer of weak soil, coarse grained soil

Base slide (rotational) whole slope, fine grained (soft layer resting on a stiff layer)

Toe slide (rotational) passing through the toe

slope slide (rotational) passing through the slope

flow slide - sil behave like a viscious fluid, multiple failure surfaces, soil spreads in all directions

block slide - translational slide, soil mass is shattered along weak zones from adjacent soils.

Front 2

What factors provoke slope failures?

Back 2

soil type, stratification, groundwater, seepage, and slope geometry

Forces:

Erosion (changing geometry)

Rainfall : (erosion or seepage) rainfall can softenand weaken underlying layers

Earthquakes:

geological features (stratified soil, missing a weak layer)

external loading, at the crest --> failure, at the toe, berms will prevent failure.

construction activities, at the toe can cause failure as lateral resistacne is removed.

rapid draw down: if a resevoir is quickly drained lateral pressure is removed but porewater pressure remains and the slope might fail in undrained conditions, if not it might fail due to seepage forces afterward

Front 3

what is an infinite slope failure?

Back 3

g

Front 4

What methods of analysis are used to estimate the FS of a slope?

Back 4

g

Front 5

What are the assumptions of the various methods of analysis?

Back 5

g

Front 6

How does seepage affect the stability of slopes?

Back 6

g

Front 7

What is the effect of rapid draw down on slope stability?

Back 7

g