On the efficient estimation of small failure probability in slopes

The random finite element method (RFEM) combines the random field theory and finite element method in the framework of Monte Carlo simulation. It has been applied to a wide range of geotechnical problems such as slope stability, bearing capacity and the consolidation of soft soils. When the RFEM was first developed, direct Monte Carlo simulation was used. If the probability of failure (pf) is small, the direct Monte Carlo simulation requires a large number of simulations. Subset simulation is one of most efficient variance reduction techniques for the simulation of small pf. It has been recently proposed to use subset simulation instead of direct Monte Carlo simulation in RFEM. It is noted, however, that subset simulation requires calculation of the factor of safety (FS), while direct Monte Carlo requires only the examination of failure or non-failure. The search for the FS in RFEM could be a tedious task. For example, the search for the FS of slope stability by the strength reduction method (SRM) usually requires much more computational time than a failure or non-failure checking. In this paper, the subset simulation is combined with RFEM, but the need for the search of FS is eliminated. The value of yield function in an elastoplastic finite element analysis is used to measure the safety margin instead of the FS. Numerical experiments show that the proposed approach gives the same level of accuracy as the traditional subset simulation based on FS, but the computational time is significantly reduced. Although only examples of slope stability are given, the proposed approach will generally work for other types of geotechnical applications.