CIVL 3740

Tutorial 11: Slope stability - Analysis of Infinite Slope

Instructor: Prof. Chao ZHOU

TA: Haiming LIU
Email: hliubc@connect.ust.hk
24 Apr. 2017
 Outline
• Water flow in infinite sloe

• Slope stability analysis of infinite slope

 Effective stress approach

 Total stress approach

 Water flow in infinite slope
• Quick review (Lecture note)
• Questions:
 What is pore water pressure at Points A, B, C and D?
 What is the hydraulic gradient?
 What is the flow rate of downward water flow?
 What is the seepage force per unit volume?

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 Effective stress approach l

• Effective stress perpendicular to the failure plane:

• Stress parallel to the failure plane (shear stress mobilized at the failure surface)

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 Effective stress approach
• Factor Of Safety (FOS):

• When c’=0, m=0 (the soil between the surface and the failure plane is not saturated)

If FOS=1, then

• When c’=0, m=1 (water table coincides with the surface of the slope)

If FOS=1, then
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Analogy of effective stress approach

Item Expression
Slope angle q
Interface friction angle a
Driving force mgsinq
q Maximum resisting force mgtana
Factor of Safety mgtana/mgsinq

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 Total stress approach
• Factor Of Safety (FOS):

• Cu is total stress from laboratory test

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 Example 1 (From lecture note)
A long natural slope in an over consolidated fissured clay of saturated unit weight 20
kN/m3 is inclined at 12⁰ to the horizontal. The friction angle of the soil is 28⁰ and cohesion
is zero. and seepage is roughly parallel to the slope. A slip has developed on a plane
parallel to the surface at a depth of 5m. Determine the factor of safety along the slip plane.
(a) If the water table is at the surface.
(b) If the water table is below the slip surface.

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 Example 2 (From lecture note)
Dry sand is to be dumped from a truck on the side of a roadway. The properties of the sand
are ɸ’ = 30⁰, γ = 17 kN/m3 and γsat = 20 kN/m3. Determine the maximum slope angle of
the sand in (a) the dry state, (b) the saturated state if groundwater is present with seepage
parallel to the slope; (c) What is the safe slope angle in the dry state for a factor of safety
of 1.25?

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Example 3

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Example 4

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