Investigation of soil parameters affecting the stability of homogeneous slopes using the Taguchi method

Investigations on the effect of the bulk density, the cohesion, the internal angle of friction, the slope height, and the slope length on the stability of homogeneous slopes are reported here. The Taguchi method was used for the study, and a standard L16 orthogonal array with 5 parameters and 4 levels was chosen. The results of the study show that the most efficient parameters of the stability of homogeneous slopes are the slope height, the slope length, the cohesion, the internal angle of friction, and the bulk density. The critical safety factors obtained by the Taguchi method are found to be in good agreement with those determined by the ordinary method.