System probabilistic model of rock slope stability considering correlated failure modes

In this paper, a system reliability analysis of rock slope stability with considering all input parameters as stochastic parameter is presented. To perform reliability analysis a cut-set system has been used. For this purpose, Sequential Compounding Method (SCM) as a powerful method for reducing the computational time and accurate evaluation is employed to determine the reliability indices with considering correlations between failure modes which are calculated by defining equivalent linear safety margin for each failure mode. Furthermore, the 3-D system probability of failure surface is presented and the probabilistic model is developed to evaluate the rock slope probability of failure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.