New trends in rock slope stability analyses

Abstract

The paper discusses alternative approaches to stability analyses including the traditional deterministic principle, the so-called partial factor principle and the probabilistic approach which assesses the probability of failure rather than the factor of safety. To illustrate the different principles and approaches, stability analyses of road cuts near Trondheim, central Norway, are used as examples. It is concluded that although the traditional deterministic approach has the advantage of being well established and easy to understand, to conform with new standards and guidelines it is likely to be replaced by the partial factor principle. To obtain the best possible basis for evaluation it is useful to include a probabilistic analysis.