ANALYSIS ON POTENTIAL SLIDING SURFACE OF SLOPES

Stability analysis of slopes is one of the classic problems in soil mechanics. Limit equilibrium method is the most commonly used method for slope stability analysis, and it is recommended by many specifications. Generally, the potential sliding surface corresponding to the minimum safety factor is thought to be the critical surface that are most likely to slip. Based on the analysis in this paper, an idea is proposed which considers the sliding surface corresponding to the maximum acceleration as the critical surface, and is called critical surface of acceleration. Examples show that the maximum acceleration is closely related to the minimum safety factor.