Horizontal slice method of analysis

There are numerous methods available for the stability analysis of slopes. Most of these may be categorised as limit equilibrium methods (Fang & Mikroudis, 1991). The general approach is to assume a failure surface and determine the factor of safety of a soil wedge against sliding using equilibrium equations. The basic assumption is that Coulomb's failure criterion is satisfied along the assumed failure surface, and the factor of safety is often defined as the ratio of available shear resistance to the required shear resistance.

Limit equilibrium methods can be divided into two main groups. The first group considers...