Critical sliding surface location method for anisotropic slope based on anisotropic yield criterion and optimization...

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Soil Mechanics
• Computational Geomechanics

Background:

• Identifying the critical slip surface is a complex challenge in slope stability analysis.
• Heterogeneous slopes and anisotropic soil properties add significant complexity to stability assessments.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the behavior of anisotropic soils in complex slope geometries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for determining the critical slip surface in heterogeneous slopes considering soil anisotropy.
• To establish a robust framework for slope stability analysis integrating advanced constitutive models and optimization techniques.
• To investigate the influence of anisotropy on slope stability and failure mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Development of a generalized soil anisotropic constitutive model.
• Establishment of a global equilibrium framework for slope analysis.
• Integration of global optimization techniques with the Morgenstern-Price method to define the optimization objective function.

Main Results:

• The proposed method accurately determines critical slip surfaces in heterogeneous, anisotropic slopes.
• Comparative analysis validates the method's reliability and applicability against classical slope cases and improved log-spiral methods.
• The study quantifies the impact of anisotropy-related parameters on slope stability and failure modes.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a reliable approach for critical slip surface identification in complex slope scenarios.
• Accounting for soil anisotropy is crucial for accurate slope stability assessment.
• The findings provide valuable insights for geotechnical engineers designing and analyzing slopes.