- "Slope stability analysis is a static or dynamic, analytical or empirical method to evaluate the stability of slopes of soil- and rock-fill dams, embankments, excavated slopes, and natural slopes in soil and rock." - "It is performed to assess the safe design of human-made or natural slopes and the equilibrium conditions."
Analysis and design of slopes to determine their stability under various loading conditions.
Geology: The study of rocks and minerals to understand the composition and structure of the ground where slope stability is a concern.
Soil Mechanics: The study of the physical properties of soils that affect their behavior and performance, including shear strength, porosity, and water content.
Rock Mechanics: The study of the behavior of rocks under load and the properties that contribute to slope stability risks.
Hydrologic conditions: The study of water content, flow, and water pressure in the slope that affects the stability and erosion scenarios.
Slope Stability Analysis: The theoretical and analytical procedures used to evaluate the stability of a slope and identify potential risks.
Stability Criteria: The selection of appropriate stability criteria, which define the level of slope instability that is considered acceptable.
Slope Stability Monitoring: The use of field instrumentation and monitoring to provide information on slope stability in real-time.
Failure Mechanisms: The modes of failure that are possible in a slope, such as slope creep, slump, or slide, and material properties that drive them.
Engineering Geology: The application of geological principles to geotechnical engineering solutions that address slope stability.
Landslide Mitigation Measures: Techniques and process to mitigate the risk and consequences of slope stability failure, including stabilization, drainage systems, and prevention measures.
Plane Stability: Refers to conditions where the slope fails along a single predetermined plane.
Circular Failure: Refers to conditions where the slope fails in a circular shape, typically triggered by rainfall or seismic activity.
Rotational Failure: Refers to conditions where the slope fails along a curved surface, where the movement occurs along the surface of the failure.
Translational Failure: Refers to conditions where the slope fails along a distinct planar failure surface, where the movement is along a horizontal direction.
Toppling Failure: Refers to conditions where the slope fails due to over-turning of the slope mass, typically seen in rock block failures.
Creep Failure: Refers to long term slope instability due to the slow movement of the soil or rock mass, where the deformation rates may range from a few millimeters per year to few feet per year.
Liquefaction failure: Refers to conditions where the water-saturated soil loses strength due to the pore pressure increase or due to an earthquake.
Permafrost thaw failure: Refers to the instability occurring due to the melting of permafrost soil that alters the slope stability conditions, typically seen in high altitudes regions.
Combined Failure: Refers to the catastrophic landslide events that involve different failure modes occurring at different scale, magnitude, and duration.
- "The main objectives of slope stability analysis are finding endangered areas, investigation of potential failure mechanisms, determination of the slope sensitivity to different triggering mechanisms, designing of optimal slopes with regard to safety, reliability, and economics, designing possible remedial measures."
- "Successful design of the slope requires geological information and site characteristics, e.g. properties of soil/rock mass, slope geometry, groundwater conditions, alternation of materials by faulting, joint or discontinuity systems, movements and tension in joints, earthquake activity, etc."
- "The presence of water has a detrimental effect on slope stability. Water pressure acting in the pore spaces, fractures, or other discontinuities in the materials that make up the pit slope will reduce the strength of those materials."
- "Today engineers have a lot of possibilities to use analysis software, ranges from simple limit equilibrium techniques through to computational limit analysis approaches to complex and sophisticated numerical solutions."
- "Even for very simple slopes, the results obtained with typical limit equilibrium methods currently in use may differ considerably." - "Limit equilibrium is most commonly used and simple solution method, but it can become inadequate if the slope fails by complex mechanisms."
- "In these cases, more sophisticated numerical modelling techniques should be utilized." - "The engineer must fully understand limitations of each technique."
- "The use of the risk assessment concept is increasing today. Risk assessment is concerned with both the consequence of slope failure and the probability of failure."
- "Embankments, road cuts, open-pit mining, excavations, landfills, etc."
- "Investigation of potential failure mechanisms."
- "Designing of optimal slopes with regard to safety."
- "Water pressure acting in the pore spaces, fractures, or other discontinuities in the materials that make up the pit slope will reduce the strength of those materials."
- "Properties of soil/rock mass, slope geometry, groundwater conditions, alternation of materials by faulting, joint or discontinuity systems, movements and tension in joints, earthquake activity, etc."
- "Before the computer age, stability analysis was performed graphically or by using a hand-held calculator."
- "Today engineers have a lot of possibilities to use analysis software, ranges from simple limit equilibrium techniques through to computational limit analysis approaches to complex and sophisticated numerical solutions."
- "Finding endangered areas."
- "Designing possible remedial measures, e.g. barriers and stabilization."
- "The engineer must fully understand limitations of each technique."
- "The use of the risk assessment concept is increasing today."
- "Risk assessment is concerned with both the consequence of slope failure and the probability of failure."