Slope stability analysis using the virtual element method and shear strength reduction technique

A new procedure for elasto-plastic mechanical problems with VEM is proposed, by considering the specialties of incremental elasto-plastic calculation and bilinear projection operator. The shear strength reduction technique together with the φ-ν inequality is implemented into the VEM to investigate the stability of slopes. Based on the proposed procedure, the deformation of homogeneous and heterogeneous slopes under different shear strength reduction coefficients is solved. In addition, the mesh dependency of the model is tested. A series of numerical examples are employed to test the correctness and effectiveness of the method. The results show that:(1) the arbitrary polygonal elements can be adopted and the calculation accuracy is independent of the shape of the element. The VEM is simple to implement and has a reliable mathematical foundation. (2) The proposed procedure is able to accurately predict the factor of safety of slopes, and capture the failure patterns of slopes. In addition, it can provide evaluation basis for slopes(landslides) design. © 2019, Science Press. All right reserved.