The influence of number of grid points and radius increments in determining safety factor and estimated sliding volume on three-dimensional slope stability analysis

Abstract

The existence of geometric complexity in the longitudinal direction makes 3D Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) able to depict conditions in the field well and obtain Safety Factor (SF) that is more representative than the 2D limit equilibrium method. Safety factor calculations are not only influenced by the Direction of Sliding (DoS), but also by the location of the slip surface. Therefore, determining the location of the slip surface is important in the 3D limit equilibrium method. In this study, the method used for generating slip surfaces is a grid search where variations are made on the number of grid points and the radius increments to determine the effect of these two variables on the determination of safety factor and estimated sliding volume. Based on the results of the study, it can be stated that the greater the number of grid points and the radius increments, the estimated sliding volume will be more precise, while the calculation of safety factor is only affected by the number of grid points where the greater the number of grid points, the search of critical slip surface will be more accurate.