Extremum solutions to the limit equilibrium method subjected to physical admissibility

In the slope stability analysis, the interslice force calculated by the method of slices is the internal force of the slope in the limit equilibrium state, which is vital to the design of reinforcement. However, none of the existing methods can guarantee a priori the interslice force is reasonable. Starting from the global analysis procedure, an optimization problem for maximizing the factor of safety is posed under the constraints that the system of forces in the sliding body is physically admissible. In the problem, both the factor of safety and the normal stress along the slip surface are taken as the independent variables. With weak nonlinearity and no numerical problems inherent in the methods of slices, the optimization problem can be solved by those conventional optimization techniques. No assumption is made regarding the interslice forces, but the system of forces from the optimization problem is physically admissible. To bracket the factor of safety, meanwhile, the minimum of the factor of safety is calculated through a minimization process under the same constraints as the maximization process. It is illustrated that for smooth slip surfaces, the solutions to the maximum and the minimum almost coincide, and for non-smooth slip surfaces, the interval of the solution is very narrow.