Applying Probabilistic Methods for Slope Stability Analysis

Slope stability analysis is a branch of geotechnical engineering that is highly amenable to probabilistic treatment, and has received considerable attention in the literature. This paper tries to demonstrate how probabilistic methods can be applied to slope stability analysis. The probabilistic methods used in this paper range from simple First Order Second Moment method (FOSM), First Order Reliability Method (FORM) and Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS) to more advanced Random Finite Element Method (RFEM). The importance of considering the spatial variability of soil properties in slope stability analysis is highlighted by comparing these methods. The paper also demonstrates how to use the Response Surface Method (RSM) to improve the computational efficiency in probabilistic slope stability analysis.