Abstract
This paper proposes a modified particle swarm optimization algorithm coupled with the finite element limit equilibrium method (FELEM) for the minimum factor of safety and the location of associated noncircular critical failure surfaces for various geotechnical practices. During the search process, the stress compatibility constraints coupled with the geometrical and kinematical compatibility constraints are firstly established based on the features of slope geometry and stress distribution to guarantee realistic slip surfaces from being unreasonable. Furthermore, in the FELEM, based on rigorous theoretical analyses and derivation, it is noted that the physical meaning of the factor of safety can be formulated on the basis of strength reserving theory rather than the overloading theory. Consequently, compared with the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the shear strength reduction method (SSRM) through several numerical examples, the FELEM in conjunction with the improved search strategy is proved to be an effective and efficient approach to routine analysis and design in geotechnical practices with a high level of confidence.
Highlights
Slope stability analysis is still a hot issue and complex problem in the field of geotechnical engineering, which has been attracting the attention of many geotechnical researchers
This paper proposes a modified particle swarm optimization algorithm coupled with the finite element limit equilibrium method FELEM for the minimum factor of safety and the location of associated noncircular critical failure surfaces for various geotechnical practices
The limit equilibrium method LEM, the shear strength reduction method SSRM, and the finite element limit equilibrium method FELEM are generally employed in geotechnical practices by engineers and researchers
Summary
Slope stability analysis is still a hot issue and complex problem in the field of geotechnical engineering, which has been attracting the attention of many geotechnical researchers. The LEM is a conventional and well-defined approach due to its simplicity and applicability It can handily evaluate the stability of soil slope via the minimum factor of safety and associated critical failure surface. The FELEM for circular slip surface has been well established and applied successfully into the stability analysis of soil slopes due to its simplicity and practicability by Zou et al , Kim and Lee , Pham and Fredlund , Yamagami and Ueta , and Shao et al. In addition, the simplex method, dynamic programming, and leap-frog method have been successfully introduced into the search of the critical slip surfaces. The two issues, i whether the FELEM is suitable for the stability analysis with noncircular slip surface and ii whether the modern heuristic optimization techniques which have been employed successfully in the LEM are suitable for the FELEM to search for the critical non-circular failure surface, still puzzle the researchers and geotechnical engineers. Failure surfaces obtained by the FELEM, LEM, and SSRM are compared for various soil slopes
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