Stability analysis of reinforced slope based on limit equilibrium method

Abstract

Reinforced soil structures are widely used in civil engineering for the slope protection because of their unique advantages. However, the failure mechanism of such structures has not been fully studied. In this paper, the stability analysis of reinforced slopes is carried out based on the limit equilibrium method. Furthermore, the effects of the location, the length and the tensile strength of the reinforcement layers on the safety factor and the critical failure surface are investigated. The research results indicate that the above parameters have great effects on the safety factor and the critical failure surface of the reinforced slope. However, the effects of the length and the tensile strength of the reinforcement on the location where the failure surface starts are not significant. Based on the analysis of computation results, the failure mechanism is analyzed and the optimum design scheme of the reinforced slope is recommended.