Back analysis of general slope under earthquake forces using upper bound theorem

Abstract

Long time monitoring is acquired to obtain the displacement data for displacement-based geotechnical material back analysis, and these data are hard to be measured under some special condition, such as earthquake. For a simple homogeneous slope, the position of a critical failure surface is determined by value of c/tan ϕ. Utilizing upper bound theorem of limit analysis, the external work rate and internal energy for normal slope under earthquake forces are given, and the formula for minimum safety factor is derived. On this basis, the equation of slip surface and the surface depth of a given position are solved. In this way, the strength parameter can be analyzed by known slip surface depth. For practical use, the surface depth for a given slope under varying strength parameter is presented. Finally, two examples are given to show its simplicity and effectiveness.