3D Finite Element Analysis of Anti-slide Pile Performance for Slope Stabilization

The stability of the slope plays a significant role in the formation and development of landslides. Among numerous slope stabilizing techniques, the reinforcement using anti-slide piles is an efficacious method for mitigating slope failures. These piles are usually installed in a row with uniform spacing, which will anchor the unstable zone to the deeper stable strata, thus maintaining the stability of the slope. In this study numerical analysis of the pile reinforced was carried out using the finite element software PLAXIS 3D to appraise the performance of anti-slide piles for controlling landslides. The variation of the factor of safety with the pile position, pile spacing, pile length, and shape of the pile was identified based on the safety analysis using the strength reduction method. The anti-slide pile effectively stabilized the slope and enhanced the safety factor by 1.4 times. The fixity of the pile head influences the performance of anti-slide piles, and fixed-head piles excels than free-head piles. The optimum position for placing the pile was observed as the middle of the slope for fixed head piles and near the toe of the slope for free head piles. The optimum spacing between the piles is recommended to be five times the diameter of the pile. A critical pile length of 0.8 times the height of the slope is suggested for attaining the maximum factor of safety and effective anchoring, and square-shaped piles are recommended.