Causes of Failure

Gravity loads:
- Selfweight
- Surcharge loads

Environmental Factors
- Seepage
- Earthquake
 Unrestrained Slope
• Exposed ground surface that stands at an angle with
the horizontal.
 MODES OF
FAILURE
Fall – this is the detachment of soil and/or rock
fragments that fall down a slope.
 MODES OF
FAILURE
Topple – this is a forward rotation of soil and/or
rock mass about an axis below the center of gravity
being displaced.
 MODES OF
FAILURE
Slide – downward movement of a soil mass
occurring on a surface of rupture.
 MODES OF
FAILURE
Spread – this is a form of slide by translation. It
occurs by sudden movement of water – bearing
seams of sands or silts overlain by clays or loaded
by fills.
 MODES OF
FAILURE
Flow – downward movement of soil mass similar to
a viscous fluid.
 Factor of Safety
- Once appropriate shear strength properties, pore water
pressures, slope geometry and other soil and slope
properties are established, slope stability calculations need
to be performed to ensure that the resisting forces are
sufficiently greater than the forces tending to cause a slope
to fail.
- Calculations usually consist of computing a factor of safety
using one of several limit equilibrium procedures of analysis.
All of these procedures of analysis employ the same
definition of the factor of safety and compute the factor of
safety using the equations of static equilibrium.
 Factor of Safety
𝝉𝒔
𝑭𝑺 =
𝝉𝒅
Where
FS = factor of safety with respect to strength/sliding
𝜏𝑆 = average shear strength of soil
𝜏𝑑 = average shear stress developed along the potential failure surface

𝝉𝒔 = 𝒄′ + 𝝈′ 𝐭𝐚𝐧(𝝓′ )

𝒄′ + 𝝈′ 𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝝓′ )
𝑭𝑺 = ′
𝒄𝒅 + 𝝈′ 𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝝓′𝒅 )
 Factor of Safety
Factor of safety with respect to cohesion:

𝒄′
𝑭𝑺𝒄 =
𝒄𝒅

Factor of safety with respect to friction:

𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝝓′ )
𝑭𝑺𝒄 =
𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝝓′𝒅 )
Factor of Safety
Factor of Safety
INFINITE SLOPE

Ground Surface

Potential failure plane

Where: L

H = height of soil W b
𝛽 = inclination of ground surface 𝑊𝑁
𝜙′ = effective angle of friction 𝑊𝑇
a

W = weight of soil c
𝑓𝑑
N = normal force H
𝐹𝑐𝑑
f = frictional force d 𝛽 N
Fc = cohesive force
 INFINITE SLOPE

𝑊 = 𝛾𝑉
L
𝑊 = 𝛾 𝐻 𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽 1.0
W b
𝑊𝑁
𝑊𝑁 = 𝑊𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽 = 𝛾𝐻𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝛽
a 𝑊𝑇

𝑊𝑇 = 𝑊𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 = 𝛾𝐻𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽
c
𝑓𝑑
By definition: H 𝐹𝑐𝑑
d 𝛽 N
𝐹𝑐𝑠 + 𝑓𝑠
𝐹𝑆 =
𝑊𝑇
 INFINITE SLOPE
In terms of stresses:
L
𝑊𝑁 𝛾𝐻 𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝛽
𝜎= = = 𝜸𝑯𝒄𝒐𝒔𝟐 𝜷
𝐴𝐶𝐷 𝐿(1.0) W b
𝑊𝑁

𝑊𝑇 𝛾𝐻𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 a 𝑊𝑇
𝜏= = = 𝜸𝑯𝒄𝒐𝒔𝜷𝒔𝒊𝒏𝜷
𝐴𝐶𝐷 𝐿(1.0)
c
f
𝐹𝑐𝑠 𝐹𝑐𝑠 H
𝑐= = Fc
d 𝛽 N
𝐴𝐶𝐷 𝐿(1.0)

𝑊𝑁 tan(𝜙′) 𝑊𝑁 tan(𝜙′)
𝑓𝑠 = = = 𝜎tan(𝜙′)
𝐴𝐶𝐷 𝐿(1.0)
 INFINITE SLOPE

L
In terms of stresses, factor of safety would be:
W b
𝑐 + 𝛾𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝛽𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜙′ 𝑊𝑁
𝐹𝑆 =
𝛾𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝑊𝑇
a

𝒄 𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝝓′ c
𝑭𝑺 = + 𝑓𝑑
𝜸𝑯𝒄𝒐𝒔𝜷𝒔𝒊𝒏𝜷 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝜷 H 𝐹𝑐𝑑
d 𝛽 N
NOTE: For critical condition, set the FS = 1.0
 INFINITE SLOPE
With seepage: (in terms of stresses)
L
c = cohesion
𝑓𝑠 = 𝛾 ′ 𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝛽𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜙′ W b
𝜏 = γ𝑠𝑎𝑡 𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝑊𝑁

a 𝑊𝑇
𝑐 + 𝛾 ′ 𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝛽𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜙
𝐹𝑆 = c
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 𝐻𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝑓𝑑
H 𝐹𝑐𝑑
𝒄 𝜸′ 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝝓′ d 𝛽 N
𝑭𝑺 = 𝟐
+
𝜸𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜷𝒔𝒊𝒏𝜷 𝜸𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝜷
 FINITE SLOPE

Culmann’s analysis is based on the assumption that the failure of a slope occurs along a plane when the
average shearing stress tending to cause the slip is more than the shear strength of the soil. Also, the
most critical plane is the one that has a minimum ratio of the average shearing stress that tends to
cause failure to the shear strength of soil.
W
Failure plane
𝑊𝑁
Ground Surface
𝑊𝑇

𝑓𝑑 𝐹𝑐𝑑
H
𝛽
𝜃 N
 FINITE SLOPE

Critical angle where the maximum developed cohesion occurs:

𝜷 + 𝝓𝒅
𝜽𝒄𝒓 =
𝟐
′
𝜸𝑯 𝟏 − 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜷 − 𝝓𝒅
𝒄′𝒅 =
𝟒 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝜷𝒄𝒐𝒔𝝓′𝒅