Comparison of different probabilistic methods for predicting stability of a slope in spatially variable c–u soil
2010
Abstract
Three probabilistic methods of different complexity for slope stability calculations are in the paper eval- uated with respect to a well-documented case study of slope failure in Lodalen, Norway. A finite element method considering spatial random fields of uncorrelated parameters c (cohesion) and u (friction angle) is taken as a reference for comparison with two simpler methods based on Taylor series expansion, known as first-order-second-moment (FOSM) methods.
It is shown that the FOSM method enhanced by a reduction of variance of input parameters due to spatial averaging along the potential failure surface (extended FOSM method) leads to a significant improvement in predictions as compared to the basic FOSM method.