2003 Volume 40 Issue 3 Pages 175-181
A limit equilibrium approach is proposed to evaluate the stability of slopes with an installed wall such as a sheet pile wall . The uniqueness of this method is that different slip surfaces can be assumed in the upslope and downslope soil masses separated by the wall. A target value of the factor of safety is prescribed by the designer, contrary to the conventional slope stability analysis where factors of safety are generally unknown. Wall design is then carried out in order that the target factor of safety is actually achieved, though the design method for wall itself is not discussed in this paper . How to evaluate forces which the wall must sustain and to search for a pair of critical slip surfaces which are the most dangerous for the wall are presented . A number of examples show that this method provides reasonable solutions.
