Effects of anisotropy in correlation structure on the stability of an undrained clay slope

Slopes are mainly naturally occurred deposits, so slope stability is highly affected by inherent uncertainty. In this paper, the influence of heterogeneity of undrained shear strength on the performance of a clay slope is investigated. A numerical procedure for a probabilistic slope stability analysis based on a Monte Carlo simulation that considers the spatial variability of the soil properties is presented to assess the influence of randomly distributed undrained shear strength and to compute reliability as a function of safety factor. In the proposed method, commercially available finite difference numerical code FLAC 5.0 is merged with random field theory. The results obtained in this study are useful to understand the effect of undrained shear strength variations in slope stability analysis under different slope conditions and material properties. Coefficient of variation and heterogeneity anisotropy of undrained shear strength were proven to have significant effect on the reliability of safety factor calculations. However, it is shown that anisotropy of the heterogeneity has a dual effect on reliability index depending on the level of safety factor adopted.     

约束随机场下的边坡可靠度随机有限元分析方法

目前边坡可靠度中常用的简化分析方法,不考虑边坡土体的空间变异性,每次计算整个边坡都取用相同的强度参数,由离散点试样试验得到的土体参数统计特性只能反映点特性,而边坡的稳定性受滑面上平均抗剪强度特性控制,因此,需要考虑空间范围内的平均特性。描述空间变异性的随机场理论对变异性较高的土体,实际上高估了其空间变异性。把随机场理论和地质统计中的区域化变量理论结合起来,建立约束随机场,并在此基础上进行Monte-Carlo随机有限元分析。计算实例表明,在高变异性条件下约束随机场能有效降低完全随机场的模拟方差,得到更低的破坏概率。对比了随机有限元和简化法的计算结果表明,简化法在土体强度变异性很高时其结果并非偏于保守。另外也指出了可靠度分析中存在的边坡尺度效应和简化法的适用条件。     

有限数据条件下边坡可靠度分析的Bootstrap方法

基于Bootstrap抽样技术提出了有限数据条件下边坡可靠度分析方法。简要介绍了传统的边坡可靠度分析方法。采用Bootstrap方法模拟了抗剪强度参数概率分布函数的统计不确定性。以无限边坡为例研究了抗剪强度分布参数和分布类型不确定性对边坡可靠度的影响规律。结果表明：基于有限数据估计的样本均值、样本标准差和AIC值具有较大的变异性,这种变异性进一步导致了抗剪强度参数概率分布函数存在明显的统计不确定性。在考虑抗剪强度参数概率分布函数的统计不确定性时,边坡可靠度指标应为具有一定置信度水平的置信区间,而不是传统可靠度分析中的固定值。边坡可靠度指标的置信区间变化范围随安全系数的增加而增大,同时考虑分布参数和分布类型不确定性计算的可靠度指标具有更大的变异性和更宽的置信区间变化范围。Bootstrap方法为有限数据条件下抗剪强度参数概率分布函数统计不确定性的模拟以及边坡可靠度的评估提供了一条有效的途径。     

Influence of the spatial variability of shear strength parameters on rainfall induced landslides: a case study of sandstone slope in Japan

Rainfall-induced landslides frequently occur in humid temperate regions worldwide. Research activity in understanding the mechanism of rainfall-induced landslides has recently focused on the probability of slope failure involving non-homogeneous soil profiles. This paper presents probabilistic analyses to assess the stability of unsaturated soil slope under rainfall. The influence of the spatial variability of shear strength parameters on the probability of rainfall-induced slope failure is conducted by means of a series of seepage and stability analyses of an infinite slope based on random fields. A case study of shallow failure located on sandstone slopes in Japan is used to verify the analysis framework. The results confirm that a probabilistic analysis can be efficiently used to qualify various locations of failure surface caused by spatial variability of soil shear strength for a shallow infinite slope failure due to rainfall.     

基于可靠性理论抗滑桩设计体系的研究

抗滑桩设计的常规方法是建立在定值基础上的,未能考虑计算参数的随机性与变异性,故在抗滑桩设计中存在局限性：一是不能给出抗滑桩设计的边坡安全度;二是设计中过分保守,造成浪费。可靠性分析法考虑了计算参数的随机性,用严格的概率来度量边坡的安全度,弥补了上述传统抗滑桩设计中存在的不足。基于可靠性分析法,以传统边坡稳定性计算公式为基础,建立了抗滑桩设计的边坡稳定性评价模型,并且运用蒙特卡罗法,采用单参数敏感性分析方法,分析抗滑桩设计各参数对边坡安全系数及可靠性指标的影响。结果表明,岩土体抗剪强度参数、岩土体重度、抗滑桩直径等因素对可靠性指标影响较明显,边坡安全系数对岩土体重度、抗滑桩有效长度、抗滑桩直径等随机变量较敏感。     

土坡体系可靠度分析方法及在高土石坝工程中的应用

针对土坡稳定体系可靠度分析问题,提出了一种分析方法框架,包括采用缩减方差抽样技术生成随机变量样本值、采用全局优化算法搜索边坡最小安全系数、采用Monte-Carlo法计算边坡体系可靠度3个主要部分。在此框架下,建立了一种较为简便实用的高土石坝坝坡稳定体系可靠度分析方法。该方法采用拉丁超立方抽样技术生成随机变量的样本值,再用商业软件STAB搜索相应的坝坡最小安全系数,最后用可靠指标法或Monte-Carlo法计算坝坡体系可靠度。工程算例表明,筑坝材料强度参数的随机不确定性对坝坡临界滑弧的位置影响较大,坝坡稳定体系可靠度小于单一滑动面的坝坡稳定最小可靠度,提出的方法可用于实际工程坝坡稳定体系可靠度分析。     

Three-dimensional reliability analysis of earth slopes

Reliability of cohesive soil slopes is assessed using a three-dimensional (3D) probabilistic stability analysis algorithm. Spatial variability of soil properties is represented by an anisotropic random field. Parametric studies are performed for a typical earth structure. The influence of the model parameters, including expected value, variance and correlation distance of soil shear strength, on the reliability associated to particular failure mechanisms is evaluated. The effect on reliability of the dimensions and shape of potential slip surfaces for a given random field is also assessed. It is shown that the mechanisms that contribute most significantly to global probability of failure of the slope may be quite different from those identified as critical by standard deterministic evaluations assuming soil homogeneity. Some practical implications of this fact are discussed.     

Long embankment failure accounting for longitudinal spatial variation – A probabilistic study

For long earth embankments or levees, it is of interest to investigate the slope failure mode in the longitudinal direction. However, this is less commonly discussed in comparison to the plane-strain failure mode. In this paper, the longitudinal failure mode of a long embankment consisting of homogeneous soils is examined. A probabilistic approach using the first-order reliability method (FORM) is adopted to consider the uncertainty of soil properties. In particular, the spatial variability of the undrained shear strength of the soil is modelled in the probabilistic analysis. Parametric studies are subsequently conducted to examine the influence of this soil characteristic on the failure mode of the long embankment.     

Two Methods for Predicting Reliability Index and Critical Probabilistic Slip Surface of Soil Slopes

Two methods of reliability analysis of soil slopes are studied, and the representative flow charts of both methods are illustrated. Method 1 can predict the reliability index and the critical probabilistic slip surface directly and it is computational efficient, but it needs the development of new codes for integrating the reliability analysis code and the slope stability code. Method 2 makes the reliability analysis code call the slope stability analysis code directly, and each code can be considered as an intact part. The main result of Method 2 is the reliability index of soil slope. Combined with the proposed method for locating the critical slip surface, Method 2 can also predict the probabilistic slip surface. Although Method 2 needs much more callings of the subprogram of slope stability analysis code, it needs not the developing of new computer program. Thus, Method 2 is easy to use and can be applied to different reliability analysis methods and slope stability analysis methods.     

Full probabilistic design of slopes in spatially variable soils using simplified reliability analysis method

ABSTRACT

A simplified reliability analysis method is proposed for efficient full probabilistic design of soil slopes in spatially variable soils. The soil slope is viewed as a series system comprised of numerous potential slip surfaces and the spatial variability of soil properties is modelled by the spatial averaging technique along potential slip surfaces. The proposed approach not only provides sufficiently accurate reliability estimates of slope stability, but also significantly improves the computational efficiency of soil slope design in comparison with simulation-based full probabilistic design. It is found that the spatial variability has considerable effects on the optimal slope design.     

LHS方法在边坡可靠度分析中的应用

Monte Carlo（MC）法在目前边坡可靠度分析中是一种相对精确的方法,应用广泛,受问题限制的影响较小,适应性很强,其误差仅与标准差和样本容量有关。但其精度受随机抽样的可靠性和模拟次数制约,收敛速度慢,影响了实际使用。在极限平衡方法的基础上,用拉丁超立方抽样（Latin hypercube sampling,LHS）方法代替MC法的随机抽样,考虑边坡参数的变异性和相关性进行边坡可靠度分析。讨论了LHS法、MC法中可靠指标的各种计算方法,建议以破坏概率、安全系数均值和标准差作为评价指标。算例显示LHS法较MC法效率上有很大改善：较少的抽样样本就能反映参数的概率分布,可靠度分析收敛快,不需要大量的模拟,因此,值得在边坡可靠度分析中推广应用。也将工程上常用的均匀设计和正交设计用于边坡可靠度分析,结果表明,正交设计结果和中心点法比较接近,而均匀设计得到的结果则是不可靠的。     

Seismic reliability analysis of earth slopes under short term stability conditions

Different models were developed for evaluating the probabilistic three-dimensional (3-D) stability analysis of earth slopes and embankments under earthquake loading. The 3-D slope stability model assumed is that of a simple cylindrical failure surface. The probabilistic models evaluate the probability of failure under seismic loading considering the randomness of earthquake occurrence, and earthquake induced acceleration and uncertainties stemming from the discrepancies between laboratory-measured and in-situ values of shear strength parameters. The models also takes into consideration the spatial variabilities and correlations of soil properties. The probabilistic analysis and design approach is capable of obtaining the 2-D and 3-D static and dynamic safety factors, the probability of slope failure, the earthquake induced acceleration coefficient, the yield acceleration coefficient, the earthquake induced displacement, and the probability of allowable displacement exceedance taking into account the local site effect. The approach is applied to a well known landslide case: Congress Street Landslide in Chicago. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the different parameters involved in the models by applying those models to the Congress Street landslide considering different levels of seismic hazard. Also, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the sensitivity of computed results to input parameters of undrained shear strength, and corrective factors. A comparison was made between the different models of failure. The parametric study revealed that the hypocentral distance and earthquake magnitude have major influence on the earthquake induced displacement, probability of failure and dynamic 2-D and 3-D safety factors.     

Modeling uncertainty in stability analysis for design of embankment dams on difficult foundations

A probabilistic 3-D slope stability analysis model (PTDSSAM) is developed to evaluate the stability of embankment dams and their foundations under conditions of staged construction taking into consideration uncertainty, spatial variabilities and correlations of shear strength parameters, as well as the uncertainties in pore water pressure. The model has the following capabilities: (1) conducting undrained shear strength analysis (USA) and effective stress analysis (ESA) slope stability analysis of staged construction, (2) incorporation of field monitored data of pore water pressure, and (3) incorporation of increase of undrained shear strength with depth, effective stress, and pore water pressure dissipation. The PTDSSAM model is incorporated in a computer program that can analyze slopes located in multilayered deposits, considering the total slope width.

The main outputs of the program are the geometric parameters of the most critical sliding surface (i.e., center of rotation/radius of rotation and critical width of failure), mean 2-D safety factor, mean 3-D safety factor, squared coefficient of variation of resisting moment, and the probability of slope failure. The program is applied to a case study, Karameh dam in Jordan. Monitored data of induced pore water pressure in the dam embankment and soft foundation were gathered during dam construction.

The stability of Karameh dam embankment and foundation was evaluated during staged construction using deterministic and probabilistic analysis. Foundation stability was evaluated based on the monitored data of pore water pressure.

The study showed that the mean values of the corrective factors which account for the discrepancies between the in situ and laboratory-measured values of soil properties and for the modeling errors have significant influence on the 2-D safety factor, 3-D safety factor, slope probability of failure, and on the expected failure width.

The degree of spatial correlation associated with shear strength parameters within a soil deposit also influences the probability of slope failure and the expected failure width. This correlation is quantified by scale of fluctuation. It is found that a larger scale of fluctuation gives an increase in the probability of slope failure and a reduction in the critical failure width.     

考虑土性参数空间变异性的边坡可靠度分析

采用基于Morgenstern-Price法的Monte-Carlo模拟对黄河大堤开封段边坡进行了可靠度分析,并用抽样法进行了考虑土性参数空间变异性的可靠度分析,讨论了土性参数互相关性对可靠指标的影响,得到了一些有益的结论。对边坡工程安全度评价研究有一定的理论意义和实际应用价值。     

基于多源试验数据空间变异土体参数概率反演及边坡可靠度更新

岩土工程现场勘察试验通常只能获得有限的试验数据,据此难以真实地量化土体参数的空间变异性。提出了考虑土体参数空间变异性的概率反演和边坡可靠度更新方法,基于室内和现场两种不同来源的试验数据概率反演空间变异参数统计特征和更新边坡可靠度水平,并给出了计算流程。此外为合理地描述土体参数先验信息,发展了不排水抗剪强度非平稳随机场模型。最后通过不排水饱和黏土边坡算例验证了提出方法的有效性,并探讨了试验数据和钻孔位置对边坡后验失效概率的影响。结果表明：提出方法实现了空间变异土体参数概率反演与边坡可靠度更新的一体化,基于有限的多源试验数据概率反演得到的土体参数均值与试验数据非常吻合,明显降低了对参数不确定性的估计,更新的边坡可靠度水平显著增加。受土体参数空间自相关性的影响,试验数据对钻孔取样点附近区域土体参数统计特征更新的影响明显大于距离取样点较远区域。     

CST-based first order second moment method for probabilistic slope stability analysis

Correlated random variables are commonly involved in probabilistic slope stability analysis, such as reliability analysis of slopes with spatially variable soil properties. This paper proposes a simple Correlated Sampling Technique (CST) for generating samples of correlated random variables. The CST firstly produces correlated standard-normally distributed samples through linear combinations of independent standard-normally distributed samples. Correlated arbitrarily distributed samples can then be obtained by the Nataf transformation. The CST was combined with FOSM (named CST-based FOSM) for probabilistic slope stability analysis. The slope reliabilities of a single-layered cohesive soil slope and a high earth and rockfill dam were analyzed to illustrate the CST-based FOSM. These illustrative examples indicated that the CST-based FOSM can accurately estimate the slope reliability indices with considerably fewer simulations (especially in the case of low failure probability) compared with direct MCS, and the slope reliability was sensitive to the correlation of the strength parameters.     

千枚岩残坡积土大型直剪试验研究

土体抗剪强度是边坡稳定性分析的重要力学参数,而大型直剪试验是确定粗粒土抗剪强度指标较为有效的方法,但获取所需原状土样较为困难。通过现场挖取边坡残坡积原状土样,开展原状土样和击实土样的室内常规小型直剪对比试验,证明在有效控制密度、干密度和含水率条件下采用击实土样获取的直剪强度指标可替代原状土样试验结果。击实土样的大型直剪与原状土样的常规直剪试验结果对比分析表明,由常规小型直剪试验获得残坡积土的抗剪强度略高于大型直剪试验结果。由于室内常规小型直剪试验获取的抗剪强度指标往往比边坡实际发生滑动时的抗剪强度指标稍大,建议在边坡稳定性分析中对抗剪强度指标选取时,采用以大型直剪试验获得的有效控制密度、干密度和含水率条件下击实土样的峰值强度和残余强度,由此进行的边坡稳定性计算将更为科学合理     

Impact of copula selection on geotechnical reliability under incomplete probability information

This paper aims to investigate the impact of copula selection on geotechnical reliability under incomplete probability information. The copula theory is introduced briefly. Thereafter, four copulas, namely Gaussian, Plackett, Frank, and No. 16 copulas, are selected to model the dependence structure between cohesion and friction angle. A copula-based approach is used to construct the joint probability density function of cohesion and friction angle with given marginal distributions and correlation coefficient. The reliability of an infinite slope and a retaining wall is presented to demonstrate the impact of copula selection on reliability. The results indicate that the probabilities of failure of geotechnical structures with given marginal distributions and correlation coefficient of shear strength parameters cannot be determined uniquely. The resulting probabilities of failure associated with different copulas can differ considerably. Such a difference increases with decreasing probability of failure. Significant difference in probabilities of failure could be observed for relatively small coefficients of variation of the shear strength parameters or a strong negative correlation between cohesion and friction angle. The Gaussian copula, often adopted out of expedience without proper validation, may not capture the dependence structure between cohesion and friction angle properly. Furthermore, the Gaussian copula may greatly underestimate the probability of failure for geotechnical structures.     

边坡可靠度分析的非侵入式随机有限元法

提出基于非侵入式随机有限元法的边坡可靠度分析方法,并编写计算程序NISFEM。采用有限元滑面应力法计算边坡安全系数,将Hermite随机多项式展开与SIGMA/W和SLOPE/W模块有机结合实现边坡可靠度非侵入式随机分析。根据随机多项式展开系数,给出边坡安全系数前4阶统计矩（均值、标准差、偏度和峰度）和Sobol指标解析表达式,并采用Sobol指标进行边坡可靠度参数敏感性分析。最后,以均质土坡可靠度问题为例,证明该方法在边坡可靠度分析中的有效性。结果表明,边坡可靠度分析的非侵入式随机有限元法能够有效地考虑边坡变形对边坡可靠度的影响,计算效率远远高于蒙特卡罗模拟方法（MCS）,是解决复杂边坡可靠度问题一种有效地分析手段;黏聚力和内摩擦角变异性对边坡安全系数前四阶统计矩具有明显的影响,重度变异性对安全系数前4阶统计矩几乎没有影响;抗剪强度参数间负相关性对边坡安全系数均值几乎没有影响,但对安全系数标准差、偏度和峰度均有明显的影响。此外,随着抗剪强度参数间负相关性的增加,边坡安全系数由近似正态分布逐渐变为明显的非正态分布。     

Evaluation of the Instability Risk of the Dam Slopes Simulated with Monte Carlo method (Case Study: Alborz Dam)

Embankment dams are one of the most important geotechnical structures that their failures can lead to disastrous damages. One of the main causes of dam failure is its slope instability. Slope Stability analysis has traditionally been performed using the deterministic approaches. These approaches show the safety of slope only with factor of safety that this factor cannot take into account the uncertainty in soil parameters. Hence, to investigate the impact of uncertainties in soil parameters on slope stability, probabilistic analysis by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method was used in this research. MCS method is a computational algorithm that uses random sampling to compute the results. This method studies the probability of slope failure using the distribution function of soil parameters. Stability analysis of upstream and downstream slopes of Alborz dam in all different design modes was done in both static and quasi-static condition. Probability of failure and reliability index were investigated for critical failure surfaces. Based on the reliability index obtained in different conditions, it can be said that the downstream and upstream slope of the Alborz dam is stable. The results show that although the factor of safety for upstream slope in the state of earthquake loading was enough, but the results derived from probabilistic analysis indicate that the factor of safety is not adequate. Also the upstream slope of the Alborz dam is unstable under high and uncontrolled explosions conditions in steady seepage from different levels under quasi-static terms.