THE VECTOR SUM METHOD: A NEW APPROACH TO CALCULATING THE SAFETY FACTOR OF STABILITY AGAINST SLIDING FOR SLOPE ENGINEERING AND DAM FOUNDATION PROBLEMS

摘要

A new approach, named the Vector Sum Method (VSM), is proposed in this paper, which can be used to study the safety factor of stability for slope and dam foundation problems. It is well known that the strength reduction method is generally applied in this field. Some disadvantages of slope and dam foundation stability analysis methods based on strength reduction principle are discussed. Several typical examinations calculated by the vector sum method are given. The comparison between results shows that the VSM is scientific and reasonable. For 2-D problems, it doesn't need trial calculations because the factor of safety can be represented as an explicit formula. The VSM can be applied easily for 3-D problems after the stress fields are acquired by finite element method or other methods. The VSM could be widely used in order to calculate the factor of safety against sliding for slope engineering and dam foundation problems in the future.