Nikolaos Charalampopoulos, "Probabilistic slope stability analysis", Diploma Work, School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2015
https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.62679
Τhe Factor of Safety of slopes is usually computed using Limit Equilibrium method or computational Finite Element method considering only the “average” or mean properties. In fact, all of these properties exhibit a distribution about the mean, or spatial correlation even under the most ideal conditions, and these distributions can have a significant impact upon the design calculations. Ηere we examine the influence of the scale of fluctuation or range of correlation of an exponential correlation model of the cohesion and friction angle of a soil on the factor of safety by using the method of random finite elements. It is shown that the correlation range has a significant impact on the form of the statistical distribution of the factor of safety. This effect may be quantitatively expressed with the aid of the concept of the reliability index.