Slope stability analysis considering the rotated anisotropy in soil properties

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the influence of rotated anisotropy on the stability of slope, the random finite element method is used in this study. Design/methodology/approach The random field is generated by the discrete cosine transform (DCT) method, which can generate random field with different rotated angles conveniently. Findings Two idealized slopes are analyzed; it is observed that the rotated angle significantly affects the slope failure risk. The two examples support the conclusion that when the orientation of the layers is nearly perpendicular to the slip surface, the slope is in a relative stable condition. The results of heterogeneous slope with two clay layers demonstrate that the rotated angle of lower layer mainly controls the failure mechanism of the slope, and the rotated angle of upper layer exhibits a significant influence on the probability of slope failure. Originality/value The method for rotated anisotropy random field generation based on the DCT has a simple expression with few parameters and is convenient for implementation and practical application. The proposed method and the results obtained are useful for analyzing the stability of the heterogeneous slopes in engineering projects.

Automated summary

This paper analyzes the influence of rotated anisotropy on slope stability using the random finite element method. The results show that the rotated angle significantly affects the risk of slope failure, especially when the orientation of the layers is perpendicular to the slip surface, the slope is relatively stable.