TITLE:
Study of Slope Stability Using the Bishop Slice Method: An Approach Combining Analytical and Numerical Analyses
AUTHORS:
Koffi Judicael Agbelele, Guy Oyeniran Adeoti, Daniel Yémalin Agossou, Gérard Gbaguidi Aïsse
KEYWORDS:
Slope, Stability, Safety Factor, Cohesion
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: The importance of slope stability in civil engineering cannot be
underestimated, as failure of these structures can result in significant damage
to downstream infrastructure and property. In this study, we used the Bishop
slice method, combining both an analytical approach and a numerical approach
using the SLOPE/W module of the Geostudio 2018 R2 software. The results
obtained from these two methods showed that increasing soil cohesion helps to
improve slope stability. The safety coefficients obtained by the analytical
method vary between 0.621 and 1.422, while those obtained by the numerical
method vary between 0.622 and 1.447, for cohesion values ranging from 4 kPa to
20 kPa. The
results obtained by these two methods show a linear relationship between the
safety coefficients and soil cohesion. The equation of the analytical method is y = 0.0496x + 0.4407,
while that of the numerical method is y = 0.0512x + 0.4357. The results of the analytical approach
indicate that a safety coefficient of 1.5 is reached when the cohesion reaches
a value of 22 kPa, while the numerical approach shows a safety coefficient of
1.5 reached at a cohesion of 21 kPa. The difference between these two cohesion
values can be explained by the number of slices used, which is smaller in the
analytical method. However, the equation derived from the analytical method can
be used as a general guide to assess the evolution of the safety coefficient of
an overloaded slope in long-term behaviour with an increase in cohesion.
However, it is important to stress the importance of verification using
specialised software based on the finite element method.