STABILITY ANALYSIS OF SLOPES WITH NON-CIRCULAR SLIP SURFACE AND NON-VERTICAL SLICES

Abstract

For a long period it was conventional to consider the slip as simple planar, wedge or circular and the slices as vertical. But then, it was realised that the slip surface may be polygonal in shape and the slice boundaries (or internal slip surfaces) may be non-vertical, owing to the inherent structural features of rock mass. Sarma's method (1973,1979) and .Kovari and Fritz's method (1978, 1984) are the methods which consider the slip, surface as non-circular and the slices as non-vertical and both are supported by software packages. The present work consists of two stages. In first stage, a simple mathematical analysis has been proposed for the non-circular slip surface and non vertical slices. In second stage the mathematical analysis has been translated into a software package SANC using FORTRAN77 language. Finally the results of present software package and the software of Hoek (1987)for -Sarma's method, have been compared . As personal computers are readily available with the engineers at their offices, hence, the present work provides an efficient mean to analyse the slopes with a general shape of failure surface and to come as near to the reality as possible. The software package SANC may be used for static and dynamic analysis of non-homogeneous earth dams, complex talus and rock slopes also.