Kinematical Element Method

Abstract

This chapter extends the kinematical element method (KEM) to the solution of global failure mechanism. The kinematical element formulations are derived to calculate the factor of safety of slopes subjected to seismic loading and pore-water pressure. Kinematical element method (KEM) and pseudo-static approach are applied to study the effect of blasting on the stability of open pit slope, and the approach to determine the relationship between critical explosive weight and distance is presented. The seismic slope stability charts are developed on the basis of KEM and pseudo-static approach, providing a rapid and reliable way to calculate the factor of safety and the location of critical slip surface without iteration. New back analysis and reliability analysis methods based on KEM are also presented.