Three-dimensional effects in slope stability for shallow excavations : Analyses with the finite element program PLAXIS

The purpose with this study was to investigate the impact of three-dimensional effects in slope stability for three-dimensional excavations and slopes with cohesive soils and compare the results with the method provided by the Swedish commission of slope stability in 1995 regarding three-dimensional effects. Both the factor of safety and the shape of the slip surface was compared between the methods but also the results from their equivalent two-dimensional geometry. The investigation was performed with models created in the finite element software PLAXIS 3D and the limit equilibrium software GeoStudio SLOPE/W. Three-dimensional excavations with varying slope angles, external loads and slope lengths were tested for three different geometry groups in PLAXIS 3D. The equivalent two-dimensional geometries were modeled with SLOPE/W and recalculated with the three-dimensional effect method provided by the Swedish commission of slope stability. The results show that the methods match well for slopes with inclinations 1:2 and 1:1 when an external load is present on the slope edge, and the factor of safety is greater and not close to 1,0. For an excavation with vertical walls or when no external load is present, the methods match poorly. The results also show that for a long and unloaded slope, the factor of safety approaches the value obtained from a simplified two-dimensional analysis. The results imply that the recommendations from the Swedish commission of slope stabilityare reliable for simple calculations of standard cohesive slopes. Keywords: Slope stability; 3D-effects; FE