A Generalized Strength Reduction Concept and Its Applications to Geotechnical Stability Analysis

Conventional strength reduction technique can’t be directly applied to geotechnical stability analyses involving nonlinear failure criteria, and hence a generalized strength reduction concept is proposed to solve the geotechnical problems involving nonlinear failure models. Although the concept has been used in some previous work, it hasn’t been recognized very well by geotechnical society. Based on the concept, the conventional strength reduction method may be viewed as the material zone/element-based strength reduction method, while the generalized strength reduction method can be regarded as the stress point-based method. One slope problem of unsaturated soil, two rock slope problems and one rigid foundation problem located on rock ground are adopted to validate the effectiveness of the generalized strength reduction concept. Numerical investigations disclose that the heuristic concept of stress point-based strength reduction can be freely applied to various geotechnical problems involving nonlinear failure models.