Stability Analysis of Rock Slopes using the Finite Element Method

This paper examines the application of Finite Element (FE) analysis to the determination of the factor of safety of rock slopes for which strength is modelled by the Generalized Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The paper first outlines the standard shear strength reduction (SSR) technique used for FE slope stability analysis of Mohr-Coulomb slopes. It then examines the difficulties of straightforward application of the method to Generalized Hoek-Brown slopes, and suggests a solution approach that uses equivalent Mohr-Coulomb envelopes in place of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion.