The effect of pile parameters on the factor of safety of piled-slopes using 3D numerical analysis

Abstract

Slope stability can be achieved using different methods. Piles are commonly used to stabilize slopes or to improve slope stability. Stabilized slopes with piles are numerically studied in the current paper. A 3 dimensional (3D) finite element study is carried out to investigate the effect of different parameters on the stability of slopes stabilized with piles. A 3D finite element model was developed using the finite element program PLAXIS. The 3D model was verified using experimental data from the literature for a stabilized silty sand slope in a large-scale physical model. A parametric study was undertaken to study the effect of pile position, pile inclination, pile length and pile diameter on the factor of safety of the piled-slopes. The findings of the research were compared to other findings from the literature. The results show that using the 3D aspect gives more insight into the complicated slope stability problem. The study determines the optimum location of the pile and its optimum inclination to achieve the maximum stability. It shows that after a certain length of the pile, increasing the pile length becomes unnecessary and that the diameter of the pile has a relatively minor effect on the factor of safety of piled-slopes.