An analytical technique for estimation of seismic displacements in reinforced slopes based on horizontal slices method (HSM)

Abstract

Calculation of seismic displacements in reinforced slopes plays a crucial role in appropriate design of these structures however current analytical methods result indifferent values for permanent displacements of the slope. In this paper, based on limit equilibrium and using the horizontal slices method, a new formulation has been proposed for estimating the seismic displacements of a reinforced slope under earthquake records. In this method, failure wedge is divided into a number of horizontal slices. Assuming linear variations for tensile forces of reinforcements along the height of the slope, the coefficient of yield acceleration has been estimated. The simplicity of calculations and taking into account the frequency content of input triggers are among the advantages of the present formulation. Comparison of the results shows that the yield acceleration calculated by the suggested method is very close to the values resulted from other techniques. On the other hand, while there is a significant difference between permanent displacements, the values obtained from the suggested method place somehow between those calculated by the other techniques.