Seismic Stability Study of Bedding Slope Based on a Pseudo-Dynamic Method and Its Numerical Validation

Abstract

Earthquakes are one of the main causes of bedding slope instability, and scientifically and quantitively evaluating seismic stability is of great significance for preventing landslide disasters. This study aims to assess the bedding slope stability under seismic loading and the influences of various parameters on stability using a pseudo-dynamic method. Based on the limit equilibrium theory, a general solution for the dynamic safety factor of bedding slope is proposed. The effects of parameters such as slope height, slope angle, cohesion, internal friction angle, vibration time, shear wave velocity, seismic acceleration coefficient, and amplification factor on stability are discussed in detail. To evaluate the validity of the pseudo-dynamic solution, the safety factors are compared with those given by early cases, and the results show that the safety factors calculated by the present formulation coincide better with those of previous methods. Moreover, a two-dimensional numerical solution of bedding slope based on Mohr–Coulomb’s elastic–plastic failure criterion is also performed by using the finite element procedure, and the minimum safety factor is essentially consistent with the result of the pseudo-dynamic method. It is proved that the pseudo-dynamic method is effective for bedding slope stability analyses during earthquakes, and it can overcome the limitations of the pseudo-static method.

Keywords

• bedding slope stability
• safety factor
• limit equilibrium method
• finite element analysis