Slope Failure Analysis Using Local Minimum Factor‐of‐Safety Approach

An approach using the minimum factors of safety against local failures is presented. The state of the effective stresses in a slope is calculated by the finite element method with the Drucker‐Prager nonlinear stress‐strain relationship. The shear strength of soil is estimated based on the Mohr‐Coulomb failure criterion. A critical slip surface is defined by connecting those local failure points in a slope along their directions of slippage. The factor of safety obtained by the proposed method is in good agreement with that determined by Bishop's and Sarma's methods. The locations of the critical slip surfaces, however, deviate slightly from Bishop's method due possibly to the assumptions made in the formulation of each method.