Optimization design of stabilizing piles in slopes considering spatial variability

Although advances in piling equipment and technologies have extended the global use of stabilizing piles (to stabilize slope or landslide), the design of stabilizing piles remains a challenge. Specifically, the installation of stabilizing piles can alter the behavior of the slope; and the spatial variability of the geotechnical parameters required in the design is difficult to characterize with certainty, which can degrade the design performance. This paper presents an optimization-based design framework for stabilizing piles. The authors explicitly consider the coupling between the stabilizing piles and the slope, and the robustness of the stability of the reinforced slope against the spatial variability of the geotechnical parameters. The proposed design framework is implemented as a multiobjective optimization problem considering the design robustness as an objective, in addition to safety and cost efficiency, two objectives considered in the conventional design approaches. The design of stabilizing piles in an earth slope is studied as an example to illustrate the effectiveness of this new design framework. A comparison study is also undertaken to demonstrate the superiority of this new framework over the conventional design approaches.