ANALYSIS OF FOUNDATIONS ON SLOPES

Abstract

Quite often, structures are built on or near a slope. This is due to land limitation, such as for bridges or for architectural purposes. The ultimate bearing capacity of the foundations for these buildings is significantly affected by the presence of slope. Design of foundations under these conditions is complex and the information available in literature is limited. The calculations for their stability are time consuming. The analysis and design of foundations on slopes requires in-depth understanding of the failure mechanism in order to choose the right slope stability analysis method. The main difference between the limit equilibrium analysis methods is the consideration of the interslice forces and the overall equilibrium of the sliding mass. The effectiveness of any slope failure remediation method depends on the analysis method. Understanding the limitations of the limit equilibrium methods will help in designing more stable slopes and will help in developing more rigorous analysis methods that can accurately predict the slope behaviour. Various models were developed to stimulate the cases of slope and effect of foundations on slopes using SLOPE/W. The parameters governing the stability were examined individually to deterniine their effect on factor of safety and the suitable distance from edge where foundation can be placed safely without affecting the stablity of slope and foundation. Numerical models were developed tostimulate the cases of strip foundation near the slope, using finite element technique togeather with the program PLAXIS. The parameters belived to govern this behaviour were examined to determine their effect on bearing capacity. The results obtained by SLOPE/W and PLAXIS were compiled togeather.