Three-Dimensional Stability Analysis and Numerical Simulation of Slope Failure Under Seismic Loading

Abstract

The frequent earthquake disasters in mountainous areas in recent years have brought great challenges to the slope safety. According to the upper bound theorem, strength reduction method and quasi-static method, a 3D failure model under earthquake is established to study the slope safety. The expression of slope safety factor is derived and the solution is optimized. Each parameter’s influence on safety factor is analyzed. And the potential fracture surface under different working conditions was analyzed by using the numerical software 3DEC 5.20. The results indicate that it decreases with the increase of slope angle, horizontal seismic force, soil unit density, slope height, and aspect ratio, and increases with the increase of cohesion and friction angle between soil masses. The potential fracture surface increases with the raise of horizontal seismic force, friction angle, cohesion and aspect ratio, and decreases with the decline of soil unit weight and slope angle. The influence of vertical seismic force on safety factor and potential fracture surface is very small and can be almost ignored.