A three-dimensional slope stability analysis method using the upper bound theorem - Part II: numerical approaches, applications and extensions

The second part of this paper provides the numerical procedures that implement the three-dimensional upper-bound slope stability analysis method described in Part I. A three-dimensional failure surface is generated by elliptical lines based on the slip surface in the neutral plane and extended in the z direction. This failure surface is mathematically represented by a series of variables including the co-ordinates of the nodal points that define the slip surface at the neutral plane, the inclinations of the row-to-row interfaces and the coefficients that define the ratio of the long axis over the low one of the elliptic. A method of optimisation is followed in order to find a set of these variables that offers the minimum Factor of safety. A computer program EMU-3D is coded to perform the calculation for practical problems. Applications and extensions of the method presented in this paper include a case study of the Tianshenqiao Landslide, the stability analysis of the right abutment of the Xiaowan arch dam, and the portal of the Hongjiadu hydropower project. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.