Three-dimensional assessment of cracked slopes with pore water pressure using limit analysis

The three-dimensional analysis of slope stability with cracks is crucial to investigate the mechanism of slope landslides to achieve desired accuracy. In the frame of limit analysis, the kinematic approach is adopted to evaluate the three-dimensional slope stability with cracks, based on a modified 3D horn-like rotation mechanism including below-toe failure. The effect of pore water pressure is considered using a commonly adopted coefficient r(u). Stability charts are presented for convenience in the form of the dimensionless critical height gamma H/c as well as the factor of safety without iterations. The results indicate that the presence of pore water pressure decreases the stability of slopes and increases the depth of the crack. Gentle slopes with large values of r(u) are found to be more prone to below-toe failure.