A Novel Method for the Stability Assessment of Soil Slopes with Multi-layers Based on the Upper Bound Limit Analysis

The discrete technique combined with the upper bound approach is applied to analyze the stability of soil slopes with multiple layers in this paper. Based on the geometrical relationship derived from the normality requirement, an algorithm is proposed to determine the coordinates of discrete points on the failure surface. Specifically, these points are generated from the initial point to the terminal point. After completion of the discrete sliding surface, the sliding block is sliced by the vertical slice technique. Equations with integral form for rates of internal energy dissipation and external work are then derived. The scheme for calculation of the safety factor is presented by means of the strength reduction method and the optimization algorithm. Comparison analysis based on four examples under various conditions demonstrates the validity of the proposed method in addressing stability problem of slopes with multiple layers.