Comparative study between Finite Element Method and Limit Equilibrium Method on Slope Stability Analysis

사면안정해석에 있어서의 유한요소법과 한계평형법의 비교

This paper presents the results of a comparative study between FEM and LEM on slope stability analysis. For validation, factors of safety were compared between FEM and LEM. The results from the two methods were in good agreement suggesting that the FEM with the shear strength reduction method can be effectively used on slope stability analyses. A series of analysis were then performed using the FEM for various constitutive laws, slope angles, flow rules, and the finite element discretizations. Among the findings, the finite element method in conjunction with the shear strength reduction method can provide reasonable results in terms of factor of safety. Also revealed is that the results of FEM can be significantly affected by the way in which the type of constitutive law and flow rule are selected.