Slope stability analysis considering the deformation of slices

With the aim of developing an analysis method that can give a unique solution for slope stability problems, finite element formulation is incorporated in the existing method of slope stability analysis using slices and a new numerical method is devised. In this method, it was considered that the nodal displacements develop along the sliding surface. Also, the shear force and the normal force acting on the slope are considered as the nodal forces on an element. A relationship is derived relating the two forces so that the Mohr-Coulomb criterion is satisfied. Highly reliable values of the global factor of safety and the external nodal force could be obtained from the present method of analysis compared to the existing slope stability analyses, which are based on the method of slices. However, concerning the nodal displacements two cases were observed: 1) when the slope does not fail, the values are close to those that conventional FEM gives and 2) when there is a failure, depending on the values of the global safety factor, the displacement magnitudes differ greatly from the conventional one.