Factor of safety of slope on consolidating soil with vertical drains by finite element method

摘要

Factor of safety of a slope on soft consolidating soil incorporating vertical drains is obtained at various time intervals. Effective stresses in soil are obtained using finite element method and the critical slip surface is located using efficient Monte Carlo technique. Factor of safety of the slope on consolidating soil with vertical drains is compared with the factor of safety of the slope on consolidating soil without vertical drains at various time intervals. In addition, the effect of spacing of vertical drains on the factor of safety of slope is also studied. It is concluded from the study that the installation of vertical drains accelerates the consolidation process during and after the construction period and the maximum factor of safety can be achieved in lesser time due to vertical drains. The time required to achieve the maximum factor of safety increases as the spacing of drains increases.