A NEW ANALYSIS PROCEDURE TO EXPLAIN A SLOPE FAILURE AT THE MARTIN LAKE MINE

A general failure mechanism, which is incorporated in an upper-bound analysis procedure and involves both continuous deformation and rigid body rotation, has been developed. Anayses with this mechanism result in immproved predictions for the design of slopes whose stability is affected by moderately high water pressures. The mechanism was developed to explain a well-documented slope failure at an operating lignite mine. Anlayses with the improved mechanism indicate that the slope was marginally stable, with a safety factor of 1.04, when it was being surveyed 2 days before it failed. Only a small increase in the water pressures, as indicated by a 0.5 m increase in the height of the water table near the slope face, was required for the safety factor to drop to 1.0. In contrast, both a conventional upper-bound analysis incorporating a rigid-body failure mechanism and a limiting-equilibrium analysis based on Spencer's method predict that the slope would be stable with a safety factor of 1.28 for the latter water pressure conditions. Comparisons of results with published solutions also indicate that the new mechanism can result in improved preditions of slope stability. The most significant improvement occurred in the analysis of the slide at Lodalen where a stability analysis which used Bishop's method resulted in a safety factor of 1.05. In contrast, the new method produced a safety factor of 0.95.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00168505
• Corporate Authors:

  Institution of Civil Engineers

  One Great George Street, Westminster
  London,   United Kingdom  SW1P 3AA
• Authors:
  • Miller, T W
  • Hamilton, J M
• Publication Date: 1989-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 107-123
• Serial:
  • GEOTECHNIQUE
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited
  • ISSN: 0016-8505

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Failure; Failure analysis; Forecasting; Safety factors; Slope stability; Stability analysis; Ultimate load design; Water pressure; Water table
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Safety and Human Factors; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00485066
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1989 12:00AM