Seismic Analysis of Nonhomogeneous Slopes with Cracks Using a Discretization Kinematic Approach

Abstract

In practice, slopes with cracks are very common, particularly in earthquake-prone areas. The slope soil properties exhibit spatial nonhomogeneity because of the geological and environmental effects. This article investigates the stability of nonhomogeneous slopes with cracks under seismic loading. The failure mechanism of nonhomogeneous slopes with cracks is first proposed using the discretization technique. Cracks are considered to be formed as a part of the failure mechanism. The pseudodynamic approach is then adopted to analyze the influence of seismic forces. The present discretization mechanism is validated by comparisons with existing studies. Discussions are also carried out to (1) identify the differences between the pseudostatic and pseudodynamic approaches, (2) assess the effects of the seismic forces and existence of cracks on slope stability, and (3) analyze the influence of earthquake parameters and soil nonhomogeneity. The pseudodynamic approach can consider the time and space variation of the ground shaking in the seismic analysis, which is more realistic. The results obtained by the pseudodynamic approach were found to differ a lot compared with that of the pseudostatic approach for higher values of kh and amplification factor f. For steeper slopes, considering the presence of cracks also has a great influence on the safety factor with an increase in kh.