The key problem when performing slope stability analysis using the limit equilibrium technique is finding the critical slip surface that produces the minimum factor of safety or the minimum critical acceleration. The acceptability of the solution is another problem with this approach. A new analysis technique, developed within the bounds of the limit equilibrium technique, utilises the acceptability criterion as the starting point. There is no a-priori assumption about the shape of the slip surface. The procedure develops the critical acceptable surface for a given critical acceleration. The minimum critical acceleration along with the corresponding critical surface is derived through iteration. For slopes of homogeneous material, the procedure is simple. It is interesting to see from the solution that critical surface is close to a circle for homogeneous slopes rather than the log-spiral. It is planned to treat more complex non-homogeneous slopes in a subsequent paper.
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