Stability Analysis of a Road Vertical Cut

The impact of slope height and slope angle on the deformation and stability of the cut slopes is critical for defining road safety projects. Proposed study investigates the stability of vertical slope/cut which is existing at Moira village, Goa, India. The analyses were carried out using FEM-based software PLAXIS 2D V 2023 1.0. Safety factor was found out considering three different cases (1) Existing slope; (2) Different geometric profiles with zero surcharge; (3) Different geometric profile with surcharge value. Bishop’s theoretical method was used to calculate the factor of safety of the existing slope. For each case considered above the slope is found to be unstable. The soil shear strength properties indicate cohesion in the soil. A suitable soil with improved friction angle was used in the analysis along with a reduced height of the vertical cut to 8 m. The stability of slope was found to be > 1. A higher friction angle allows the soil to bear greater loads without experiencing excessive deformation or failure. This is particularly important for vertical cuts in road construction, as the soil needs to support the weight of the road and any vehicles or structures on top of it.