Numerical studies of the position of piles in slope stabilization

To investigate the most suitable position of piles in slope stabilization, the two-dimensional finite difference code, FLAC 2D was used to evaluate the effects of pile location and spacing on the stabilization of slope reinforced with one row of piles. The numerical results were compared with those obtained by Bishop's simplified method and others. It is shown that the slope stability is significantly influenced by the soil-pile interaction, and that the failure mechanism of piled slope is different when the piles are located in the upper, middle and lower part of the slope. It was also found that the piles should be located in the middle part of the slope to achieve the maximum safety factor. The results indicated that the numerical simulation of pile-slope interaction can provide reasonable predictions.