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Slope Stability
Lecture 2
Sequence
Horizontal Ground
Horizontal Ground
(Vertical Stresses)
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
Horizontal Ground
(Horizontal Stresses)
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
v + v
Horizontal Ground
(Shear Stresses)
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Horizontal Ground
(Shear Max.
Stresses)
Shear Stress vs. Y
30
25
20
Y
15
10
5
0
0
50
100
Max. Shear Stress
150
200
Slopes
(Horizontal and Vertical Stresses)
00
100
20
30
600
15
400
25 0
35 0
0
500 45
0
550
05
05
Slopes
(Vertical Stresses)
15
10
30
400
450
35
25
20
50
0
Slopes
(Horizontal Stresses)
02
h + h
40
60
20
v + v
80
10
12
14
160
180
Forces on Slopes ?
Gravity
Resistance ?
Shear Strength
Slopes
(Shear Stresses)
(FOS=1.5)
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
20
Slopes
(Shear Stresses)
50
Shear Strength
40
ecnatsiseR raehS
30
20
10
Shear Mob.
-10
0
-20
10
15
Slice #
20
25
30
Slope Movement
Slope Movement
Slope Movement
(Shear Stresses)
(FOS=0.6)
14
22
80
60
40
16
20
10
12
18
20
Slope Movement
(Shear Stresses)
60
50
Shear Strength
ecnatsiseR raehS
40
30
20
10
Shear Mob.
-10
0
-20
10
15
Slice #
20
25
30
60
80
20
10
40
12
80
Shear Strength
60
ecnatsiseR raehS
40
20
0
Shear Mob.
-20
0
-40
10
Distance
15
20
08
32
08
1
02
1
06
00
24
40
60
50
Shear Strength
ecnatsiseR raehS
40
30
20
10
0
Shear Mob.
-10
-20
0
-30
10
Distance
15
Causes of Instability
Starting from the general definition for the factor of
safety
Fs = f /
= (shear strength) / (shear stress)
Causes of Instability
Examples of External causes Resulting in
Increased Shearing Stress
Geometrical changes
Unloading the slope toe
Loading the slope crest
Shocks and vibrations
Drawdown
Changes in water regime
Examples of Internal Causes Resulting in
Decreased Shearing Resistance
Progressive failure
Weathering
Seepage erosion
Causes of Instability
Causes of instability are often complex and any
attempt at classification will be approximate and
incomplete.
Causal factors are grouped under four main
headings:
Ground conditions
Geomorphologic processes
Physical processes
Man-made processes
Causes of Instability
Ground conditions
Causes of Instability
Geomorphological processes
Tectonic uplift
Volcanic uplift
Glacial rebound
Fluvial erosion of the slope toe
Wave erosion of the slope toe
Glacial erosion of the slope toe
Erosion of the lateral margins
Subterranean erosion (solution, piping)
Deposition loading the slope crest
Vegetation removal (by erosion, forest fire, drought)
Causes of Instability
Physical factors
Causes of Instability
Man-made Processes
Causes of Instability
Short-term variations in factor of safety
response
to destabilising forces reaching a certain
level of activity.
Causes of Instability
Actively unstable: slopes where destabilizing forces
produce continuous or intermittent movements. These
three stability stages provide a useful framework for
understanding the causal factors of instability and
classifying them into two groups on the basis of their
function:
Causes of Instability