1.

0 Introduction

Kuala Lumpur is a modern city which is surrounded by a hilly topography. For the past 20 years,
developers in Kuala Lumpur are having trouble in pursuing development due to limited flat which
eventually causes the development to be extended towards hilly area. The numbers of hilly
developments are escalating each year in order to accommodate the current demand due to the
expansion of population and economy growth.
The development on sensitive areas in these hilly areas has its profound effects to the
environment if it is not according to the standards and received inadequate maintenance. Due to these
reasons, we have witnessed number of slope failures which made the slope stability issue as one of main
issues in Kuala Lumpur in recent times.
On 7th May 2013, nine major slope failures have occurred in Kuala Lumpur together with many
other small scale slope failures. One of the most notable slope failures on 7th May 2013 is the Bukit
Nanas incident. The failed slope at Bukit Nanas has buried nine (9) vehicles and causing a massive
traffic jam due to main road closure.

Figure 1: Slope Failure at Bukit Nanas on 7th May 2013

Figure 2: Debris from slope failure has fallen onto TNB sub-station
2.1 Slope Failure

Slope failure, also known as slope movement or mass movement is the geomorphic process by which
soil, sand, regolith and rock move downslope typically as a mass, largely under the force of gravity, but
frequently affected by water and water content as in submarine environments and mudslides (Monroe,
Wicander 2005). Types of slope failure include creep, slides, flows, topples and falls, each with its own
characteristic features and taking place over times scales from seconds to years. Slope failure occurs on
both terrestrial and submarine slopes.
When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (slope
failure) occurs. The slope materials strength and cohesion and the amount of internal friction between
materials help maintain the slopes stability and are known collectively as the slopes shear strength.
The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as its
angle of repose. When a slope possesses this angle, its shear strength perfectly counterbalances the
forces of gravity acting upon it.
Slope failure may occur at a very slow rate, particularly in areas that are very dry or those areas
that receive sufficient rainfall such that vegetation has stabilized the surface. It may also occur at very
high speed, such as in rock slides or landslides.
Factors that change the potential of slope failure include change in slope angle, weakening of
material by weathering, increased water content, changes in vegetation cover and overloading.
2.2 Mode of slope failure

There are many types of slope failure. Slope failure, also referred to as mass wasting, is the downslope
movement of rock debris and soil in response to gravitational stresses. Three major types of mass
wasting are classified by the type of downslope movement is fall, slides and flows. Figure 4 below
shows the type of mode failure.

Figure 4: Type mode of failure

2.3 Slope Stability Analysis

Slope stability analysis should be used to determine whether a proposed slope meets the required
safety and performance criteria during design. This type of analysis is also utilized to determine
stability conditions of existing natural or constructed slopes and evaluate the influence of proposed
remediation methods if required. Slope stability analysis is used in a wide variety of problems
including, but not limited to:
 Table 1: Slope Stability Analysis Geotechnical Problems
Problems Slope Stability Analysis
Natural Slopes Evaluation of existing natural slopes.
Fill Slopes Determination of stable fill slopes.
Cut Slopes Determination of stable cut slopes.
Retaining Assessment of overall stability (global and compound).
Walls
Deep/Shallow Assessment of overall stability for structures located on
Foundations slopes.
Landslides Assessment of landslides, remediation methods, & back-
analysis.

Once slope geometry has been modeled and subsurface conditions have been determined, the stability
of a slope may be assessed using a limit-equilibrium analysis, with appropriate drainage conditions and
shear strengths.

2.3.1 Slope/W

SLOPE/W is the leading slope stability CAD software product for computing the factor of safety of
earth and rock slope. SLOPE/W can effectively analyze both simple and complex problems for a variety
of slip surface shapes, pore-water pressure condition, soil properties, analysis methods and loading
conditions.
Slope stability analyses for the study were carried out using a well-established computer program
SLOPE/W developed by GEOSLOPE. The program utilized simplified or modified Bishop Methods,
Jambu Method. The method adopted is the Morgenstern-Prices Method. This method allows the
circular arc or non-circular slip surface to be simulated.
This method also allows the forces to vary across the landslide and formulates equations of
equilibrium by resolving parallel to and normal to the base of the slice. The reliability of the method
depends on the assumption or the estimation of the effective shear strength parameters of the soil.