Stability analysis of existing slopes considering uncertainty

Abstract This paper describes a technique that can be used to handle soil parameter uncertainty in the stability analysis of slopes. The basic idea of this technique, called the vertex method, is to “discretize” uncertain soil parameters, expressed as fuzzy numbers, into a set of intervals. By replacing fuzzy numbers with intervals, the analysis with uncertain parameters reduces to a series of interval analyses that use only conventional mathematics. This approach, capable of handling parameter uncertainty, is deterministic, rather than probabilistic. PCSTABL, a popular PC-based computer program for slope stability analysis is used in conjunction with the vertex method to analyze slopes in the present study. A case study is presented to demonstrate this approach. The presented methodology is shown to be effective in handling parameter uncertainty in the stability analysis of slopes.

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