Slope stability analysis by SRM-based rock failure process analysis (RFPA)

The fundamental principles of the strength reduction method (SRM) are incorporated into the rock failure process analysis (RFPA) code to produce an RFPA–SRM method for analysing the failure process and stability of rock and soil slopes. The RFPA–SRM method not only satisfies the global equilibrium, strain-consistent, and non-linear constitutive relationship of rock and soil materials but also takes into account the heterogeneous characteristics of materials on the micro- and macro-scales. When the proposed method is used for slope stability analysis, both the critical failure surface and the safety factor can be obtained directly without any assumptions regarding the shape and location of the failure surface. The numerical results agree well with those obtained using conventional limit equilibrium and other FEM strength reduction methods. The proposed technique is applied to a number of more complex cases, including slopes in mixed rock–soil formations, rock layer formations, and highly jointed rock masses. It is shown that the RFPA–SRM method can describe the mechanism of failure of slopes and has potential applications in a large range of geoengineering problems.