Material Model: Shear Normal Function
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Introduction
In a SLOPE/W analysis, the limit equilibrium formulation requires that the friction angle and cohesion
are defined at the base of each slice, regardless of the material model selected. The objective of this
example is to demonstrate how a shear-normal strength function is used to generate a strength
definition along the base of a slip surface.
Background
The primary material property in a SLOPE/W analysis is the shear strength of the soil or rock. The
shear strength can be defined by the Mohr-Coulomb equation as:
𝜏 = 𝑐' + (𝜎 ‒ 𝑢𝑤)tan 𝜙' Equation 1
where σ is the stress, uw is the pore-water pressure, and c’ and ’ are the intercept on the shear-
stress axis and the slope of the Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope, respectively. Equation 1 is used in
the derivation of the factor of safety equations (see SLOPE/W Engineering book) regardless of the
material model selected.
The Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope can often be curved. This is particularly true for more
coarse-grained soils. SLOPE/W allows you to define a curve failure envelope as a general data-point
function (Figure 1). A combination of shear-normal data points are entered to create the curve.
1
Curved envelope
60
50
Shear Stress (kPa)
40
30
20
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Normal Stress (kPa)
Figure 1. A typical curved failure envelopes.
SLOPE/W uses the basic shear strength equation for a curved failure envelope in the same manner
that it does for a linear failure envelope. The c and ϕ, however, vary according to the slice base
normal. For each slice, SLOPE/W finds the instantaneous slope of the curve. The slope is equated to
ϕ’. The slope-line intersection with the shear-stress axis is equated to c´. This procedure is illustrated
in Figure 2.
25
Shear Stress
20
15
10
5
C
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Normal Stress
Figure 2. Equivalent c´ and ϕ’ for a curved failure envelope.
2
Numerical Simulation
Figure 3 presents the model domain. The entry-exit technique is used to search for the critical slip
surface and the pore-water pressure is defined using a piezometric line. Both regions use a Shear-
Normal material model with the failure envelopes presented in Figure 4.
Materials
Upper Layer
22 Lower Layer
20
18
16
14
Elevation (m)
12
10
0
0 10 20 30 40
Distance (m)
Figure 3. Model domain.
45
40
35
Lower Layer Shear
30
Normal
Shear Stress (kPa)
25
20
15
Upper Layer Shear
Normal
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Normal Stress (kPa)
Figure 4. Shear-normal functions for the lower and upper layers.
3
Results and Discussion
Figure 5 presents the critical slip surface and factor of safety. Figure 6 presents the friction angle and
cohesion at the base of each slice. Note that both values are nearly constant for slice 9 to 26. The
effective base normal stress for these slices ranges from about 39 kPa to 43 kPa. The slope of the
shear-normal function for the upper layer (Figure 4) is fairly constant in this range of stress; so, the
tangential slope produces a fairly constant cohesion intercept and friction angle. The frictional
strength component for these slices increases as the effective base normal stress increases (Figure
7).
Figure 5. Critical slip surface and factor of safety.
50
40
Undefined
30
20
10
0
0 10 20 30
Slice #
Figure 6. Variation in c´ and ϕ’ along the slip surface from toe to crest.
4
20
15
Frictional
strength : Slip
Undefined (kPa)
357
10
Cohesion :
Slip 357
5
0
0 10 20 30
Slice #
Figure 7. Frictional and cohesive strength components along the slip surface.
Summary and Conclusions
The SLOPE/W formulation is based on the conventional Mohr-Coulomb strength equation. The
friction angle and cohesion must be defined at the base of each slice in order to compute the factor
of safety. The user can elect to enter a value of zero for either parameter in the Mohr-Coulomb
material model. Other material models such as Anisotropic, Strength as a Function of Depth, or
Undrained require friction and/or cohesion inputs. However, the Shear-Normal material model uses
a functional relationship defined as shear strength verses effective stress. SLOPE/W must therefore
use a tangential slope for any given base effective stress to calculate a friction angle and cohesion
intercept.