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The papercompares six methods ofslicescommonly ~ ~ s for e dslopestability analysis. The factor
of safety equations are written in the same form, recognizing whether moment and (or) force
equilibrium is explicitly satisfied. The normal force equation is of the same form for all methods
with the exception of the ordinary method. The method of handling the interslice forces differen-
tiates the normal force equations.
A new derivation for the Morgenstern-Price method is presented and is called the 'best-fit
regression' solution. It involves the independent solution of the force and moment equilibrium
factors of safety for various values of A. The best-fit regression solution gives the same factor of
safety as the 'Newton-Raphson' solution. The best-fit regression solution is readily com-
prehended, giving a complete understanding of the variation of the factor of safety with A.
L'article presente Line comparaison des six methodes de ttmches ~~tilisees coummment pour
I'analyse de la stabilite des pentes. Les e q ~ ~ a t i o ndes
s facteurs de s e c ~ ~ r isont
t e ecrites selon la
m h e forme, en montrant si les conditions d'equilibre de moment ou de force sont satisfaites
explicitement. L'Cquation de la force normale est de la m h e forme pour toutes les methodes B
I'exception de la methode des tranches ordinaires. La f a ~ o de n traiter les forces intertranches est
For personal use only.
-
WATER.
. AR
FIG. 1. Forces acting for the method of slices applied to a composite sliding surface.
used for all computer analyses (Fredlund L = subscript designating left side
1974). R = subscript designating right side
(4) to compare the relative computational X = vertical interslice forces
costs involved in using the various methods k = seismic coefficient to account for a dynam-
of analysis. ic horizontal force
e = vertical distance from the centroid of each
Definition of Problem slice to the center of rotation
Figure 1 shows the forces that must be de- A uniform load on the surface can be taken
fined for a general slope stability problem. into account as a soil layer of suitable unit
The variables associated with each slice are weight and density. The following variables are
defined as follows: required to define a line load :
W = total weight of the slice of width b and L = line load (force per unit width)
height /? w = angle of the line load from the horizontal
P = total normal force on the base of the slice d = perpendicular distance from the line load
over a length 1 to the center of rotation
Sm = shear force mobilized on the base of the The effect of partial submergence of the slope
slice. It is a percentage of the shear or tension cracks in water requires the definition
strength as defined by the Mohr-Coulomb of additional variables:
equation. That is, S, = I {c' + [PI1 - u] A = resultant water forces
tan +')IF where c' = effective cohesion a = perpendicular distance from the resultant
parameter, 4' = effective angle of internal water force to the center of rotation
friction, F = factor of safety, and u =
porewater pressure Derivations for Factor of Safety
R = radius or the moment arm associated with The elements of statics that can be used to
the mobilized shear force Sm derive the factor of safety are summations of
f = perpendicular offset of the normal force forces in two directions and the summation
from the center of rotation of moments. These, along with the failure
x = horizontal distance from the slice to the criteria, are insufficient to make the problem
center of rotation determinate. More information must be known
cc = angle between the tangent to the center of about either the normal force distribution or
the base of each slice and the horizontal the interslice force distribution. Either addi-
FREDLUND AND KRAHN
1- Q = RESULTANT INTERSLICE
FORCE
Q ~ 6
'L6
equations of statics.
Ordinary or Fellenius Method
The ordinary method is considered the Introducing the failure criteria and the
simplest of the methods of slices since it is normal force from [3] and solving for the
the only procedure that results in a linear factor of safety gives
factor of safety equation. It is generally stated
that the interslice forces can be neglected be- X ( c f l R + (P - u1)R tan 4')--
[5] F
cause they are parallel to the base of each
=-----
C W x - C P +~C k ~ -te An Ld +
slice (Fellenius 1936). However, Newton's
principle of 'action equals reaction' is not satis- Simplified Bishop Method
fied between slices (Fig. 2 ) . The indiscriminate The simplified Bishop method neglects the
change in direction of the resultant interslice interslice shear forces and thus assumes that a
force from one slice to the next results in normal or horizontal force adequately defines
factor of safety errors that may be as much the interslice forces (Bishop 1955). The nor-
as 60% (Whitman and Bailey 1967). mal force on the base of each slice is derived
The normal force on the base of each slice by summing forces in a vertical direction (as in
is derived either from summation of forces [ I ] ) . Substituting the failure criteria and
perpendicular to the base or from the sum- solving for the normal force gives
mation of forces in the vertical and horizontal
directions.
C11 C Fv = 0
W - P c o s a - S,sina = 0 where nz, = cos LY + (sin LY tan +')/F
The factor of safety is derived from the
C21 1F H = 0 summation of moments about a common
S,cosa - P s i n a - k W = 0 point. This equation is the same as [4] since
the interslice forces cancel out. Therefore, the
Substituting [2] into [I] and solving for the
factor of safety equation is the same as for the
normal force gives
ordinary method ([5]). However, the defini-
tion of the normal force is different.
432 C A N . GEOTECH. J. VOL. 14, 1977
stant relationship between the magnitude of the at some angle of the interslice forces, the two
interslice shear and normal forces (Spencer factors of safety are equal (Fig. 3 ) and both
1967). moment and force equilibrium are satisfied.
The Corps of Engineers method, sometimes
referred to as Taylor's modified Swedish
method, is equivalent to the force equilibrium
where 0 = angle of the resultant interslice portion of Spencer's method in which the direc-
force from the horizontal. tion of the interslice forces is assumed, generally
Spencer ( 1967) summed forces perpendic- at an angle equal to the average surface slope.
ular to the interslice forces to derive the
normal force. The same result can be ob- Janbu's Simplified Metlzod
tained by summing forces in a vertical and Janbu's simplified method uses a correction
horizontal direction. factor f o to account for theeffect of the inter-
slice shear forces. The correction factor is
related to cohesion, angle of internal friction,
and the shape of the failure surface (Janbu
W - (XR - X,) - P cos a - S,,, sin a = 0
For personal use only.
The normal force can be derived from 181 + ul tan Fql' sin cr
and then the horizontal interslice force is ob-
tained from [9]. The horizontal force equilibrium equation
is used to derive the factor of safety (i.e.
[lo] P =
[W - (ER - EL) tan 0 11 11). The sum of the interslice forces must
cancel and the factor of safety equation
becomes
c'l sin a:
F
+ ul tan Fql' sin a11% C{c'l cos a + (P - zrl) tan 4' cos a )
[14] F , =
C P s i n a + CIcW+ A - L cos w
Spencer (1967) derived two factor of safety
equations. One is based on the summation of F,, is used to designate the factor of safety
moments about a common point and the other uncorrected for the interslice shear forces.
on the summation of forces in a direction
parallel to the interslice forces. The moment
equation is the same as for the ordinary and
the simplified Bishop methods (i.e. [4]). The
factor of safety equation is the same as [5].
The factor of safety equation based on
force equilibrium can also be derived by
summing forces in a horizontal direction.
The corrected factor of safety is are set to zero. For subsequent iterations,
the interslice forces are computed from the
sum of the moments about the center of the
Janbu's Rigorous Method base of each slice.
Janbu's rigorous method assumes that the
[17] C M , = 0
point at which the interslice forces act can
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+ ( k W / b )( h / 2 )
- d l sin a
F
+ ul tan F4' sin a The horizontal interslice forces, required
for solving [18], are obtained by combining
For personal use only.
The factor of safety equation is derived the summation of vertical and horizontal
from the summation of horizontal forces (i.e. forces on each slice.
[ I 1 1 ) . Janbu's rigorous analysis differs from
the simplified analysis in that the shear forces [19] ( E R - EL) = [ W - ( X R - X L ) ] t a n a
are kept in the derivation of the normal force.
The factor of safety equation is the same as
Spencer's equation based on force equilibrium The horizontal interslice forces are obtained
(i.e. [ 1 2 ] ) . by integration from left to right across the
In order to solve the factor of safety equa- slope. The magnitude of the interslice shear
tion, the interslice shear forces must be forces in [I91 lag by one iteration. Each
evaluated. For the first iteration, the shears iteration gives a new set of shear forces. The
vertical and horizontal components of line
loads must also be taken into account when
they are encountered.
Morgenstern-Price Method
The Morgenstern-Price method assumes an
arbitrary mathematical function to describe
the direction of the interslice forces.
1.20
1.15
SINE CURVE
*
I-
1.10
W
LL
a
'" 1.05
LL
X 0
[L
FIG. 6. Side force designation for the Morgenstern-
Price method. 1.00
2
normal forces to each slice. The force equilib-
rium equations were combined and then the 0.95
Newton-Raphson numerical technique was
used to solve the moment and force equations
for the factor of safety and A. 0.9C
In this paper, an alternate derivation for
the Morgenstern-Price method is proposed.
The solution satisfies the same elements of FIG. 7. Variation of the factor of safety with re-
spect to moment and force equilibrium vs. X for the
statics but the derivation is more consistent Morgenstern-Price method. Soil properties: c1/-fl1=
with that used in the other methods of slices. 0.02; $' = 40"; r, = 0.5. Geometry: slope = 26.5";
It also presents a complete description of the height = 100 ft (30 m ) .
FREDLUND AND KRAHN
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13
-
BEDROCK
iteration. The moment and force equilibrium From a theoretical standpoint, the derived
factors of safety are solved for a range of h factor of safety equations differ in (i) the
values and a specified side force function. equations of statics satisfied explicitly for the
These factors of safety are plotted in a manner overall slope and (ii) the assumption to make
similar to that used for Spencer's method the problem determinate. The assumption used
For personal use only.
(Fig. 7). The factors of safety vs. h are fit by changes the evaluation of the interslice forces
a second order polynomial regression and the in the normal force equation (Table 1 ). All
point of intersection satisfies both force and methods, with the exception of the ordinary
moment equilibrium. method, have the same form of equation for
Comparison of Methods of Analysis the normal force.
All methods of slices satisfying overall
moment equilibrium can be written in the
same form. c'l -
sin- 111 tan 4' - sin
a +- a
-- - -- --
C d l + ~ C(P - ul)R tan 4'
A
[22] F" = F F
CWx - CPf +
CkWe Aa + Ld +
where rn, = cos N +
(sin a tan (p') /F.
All methods satisfying overall force equilib- It is possible to view the analytical aspects
rium have the following form for the factor of of slope stability in terms of one factor of
safety equation: safety equation satisfying overall moment
equilibrium and another satisfying overall
Cc'l cos a + C ( P - ul) tan 4' cos E force equilibrium. Then each method becomes
1' F f = x p s i n c t + x k ~ + ~ - ~ c o s oa special case of the 'best-fit regression' solu-
The factor of safety equations can be tion to the Morgenstern-Price method.
visualized as consisting of the following com- TABLE 1. Comparison of factor of safety equations
ponents :
Factor of safety based on
Moment Force
eauilibriuni equilibrium Moment Force Normal
equili- equili- force
Cohesion Zc'lR Zc'l cos cc Method brium brium equation
Friction C(P-rd)R tan +' C(P-ul) tan +' cos a PI
Weight C ws - Ordinary or Fellenius x
Normal CPf CP sin ci Simplified Bishop x [61
Earthquake Ck We CkW Spencer's x x DO1
Partial Janbu's simplified x U31
submergence Aa A Janbu's rigorous x [I61
Line loading Ld L cos o Morgenstern-Price x x [241
436 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 14, 1977
Morgenstern-
Price method
Simplified Spencer's method Janbu's Janbu's f(x) = constant
Case Ordinary Bishop simplified rigorous
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*Width of slice is 0.5 ft (0.3 m) and the tolerance on the nonlinear solutions is 0.001.
**The line of thrust is assumed at 0.333.
Figure 8 shows an example problem in- of safety based on overall force equilibrium
volving both circular and composite failure are far more sensitive to the side force
surfaces. The results of six possible combina- assumption.
tions of geometry, soil properties, and water The relationship between the factors of
conditions are presented in Table 2. This
is not meant to be a complete study of
the quantitative relationship between various
methods but rather a typical example.
The various methods (with the exception
of the ordinary method), can be compared by
plotting factor of safety vs. A. The simplified
Bishop method satisfies overall moment equi-
BISHOP
librium with h = 0. Spencer's method has h
equal to the tangent of the angle between the
horizontal and the resultant interslice force.
Janbu's factors of safety can be placed along
the force equilibrium line to give an indication
of an equivalent h value. Figures 9 and 10
show comparative plots for the first two cases
shown in Table 2.
The results in Table 2 along with t h o ~ e '' 1 /
v
95
+- SPENCER
' - MORGENSTERN - PRICE
f ( x ) = CONSTANT
from other comparative studies show that the
factor of safety with respect to moment equi-
librium is relatively insensitive to the inter-
slice force assumption. Therefore, the factors
190v
, 85 1 ORDINARY = 1 928
TABLE
3. Comparison of two solutions to the Morgenstern-Price method**
2.00 I I I I I I 0.14 I I I I I I
+ - SPENCER /
1 95 1 MORGENSTERN - PRICE
- f ( x ) = CONSTANT +
/ I
/ /
x - f (x) = SINE
A - f ( x ) = CLIPPED SlNE
190
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METHOD OF ANALYSIS
FIG. 1 3 . Time per stability analysis trial for all
methods of analysis.
For personal use only.
FIG. 11. Effect of side force function on factor of proximately 9 % . However, as shown above,
safety for case 3 .
this difference does not significantly affect the
final factor of safety.
MORGENSTERN-PRICE Comparison of Computing Costs
- f ( x ) = CONSTANT
x - f (x)= SlNE A simple 2 : 1 slope was selected to compare
-A-f ( X I = CLIPPED SINE the computer costs (i.e. CPU time) associated
with the various methods of analysis. The
slope was 440 ft long and was divided into
5-ft slices. The results shown in Fig. 13 were
obtained using the Univeristy of Saskatchewan
SLOPE program run on an IBM 370 model
158 computer.
The simplified Bishop method required
0.012 min for each stability analysis. The
ordinary method required approximately 60%
as much time. The factor of safety by Spencer's
method was computed using four side force
angles. The calculations associated with cach
side force angle required 0.024 min. The factor
of safety by the Morgenstern-Price method was
computed using six h values. Each trial required
FIG. 12. Effect of side force function on factor of 0.021 min. At least three estimates of the side
safety for case 4. force angle or x value are required to obtain
the factor of safety. Therefore, the Spencer or
computer program by less than 0.7%. Using Morgenstern-Price methods are at least six
the University of Saskatchewan program, the times as costly to run as the simplified Bishop
Spencer method and the Morgenstern-Price method. The above relative costs are slightly
method (for a constant side force function) affected by the width of slice and the tolerance
differ by less than 0.2%. The average h values used in solving the nonlinear factor of safety
computed by the two programs differ by ap- equations.
FREDLUND AND KRAHN 439