Safety Factor of Unsaturated Soil Slopes considering the Intermediate Principal Stress Effect and Different Profiles of Matric Suction

Abstract

Profiles of matric suction are critical for assessing the stability of unsaturated soil slopes, and the strength of unsaturated soils is affected by the intermediate principal stress. This study presents a theoretical formulation of safety factor for infinite unsaturated soil slopes under four different profiles of matric suction using the limit equilibrium method. The unified shear strength equation under plane strain conditions is adopted to capture the effect of intermediate principal stress on the strength of unsaturated soils. The proposed formulation of safety factor is found to have good comparability and broad applicability. The validity of the proposed formulation is demonstrated by comparing its predictions with the results of the extended shear strength method and the finite element method available in the literature. Parametric studies show that the effect of intermediate principal stress on the stability of unsaturated soil slopes is significant; the difference of safety factor among four suction profiles is pronounced, and the safety factor is highest for a linear suction profile. In addition, the safety factor changes with the infiltration depth in two stages, decreases with the slope angle, and increases with effective strength parameters. The results of this study are capable of providing beneficial guidance for optimization designs and disaster preventions of unsaturated soil slopes.