Geotechnical Slope Analysis

This second edition of Geotechnical Slope Analysis is an updated version of the original scholarly book. In this edition, concepts and applications have been thoroughly revised. In particular, the ‘Initial Stress Approach’ has been extended to 2D problems in a more rigorous manner. Additional solved numerical examples have been added in several chapters. More importantly, the meaning of the results is explored through interpretation.

The influence of initial stresses, pore water pressures and seismic forces has been explored not only on performance indicators such as the ‘Factor of Safety’ but also on the location of critical slip surfaces. In addition to these factors, it is shown that the chosen method of analysis may also have a significant influence on the location of the critical slip surface. Student exercises have been included in some chapters with a view to encouraging further study and research, and reference is often made to case studies of particular importance.

The best features of the book have been retained with continued emphasis on both deterministic and probabilistic approaches for quantifying slope performance. The traditional performance indicator such as ‘Factor of Safety’ can be complemented by the calculation of the ‘Reliability Index’ and the ‘Probability of Failure’. This book focuses on research studies concerning slope behaviour, the occurrence of landslides and the use of alternative methods of analysis and interpretation. The importance of uncertainties in slope performance and, more broadly, in geotechnical engineering is emphasised.

This book will be valuable to undergraduate and senior students of civil, mining and geological engineering as well as to academic teachers and instructors and also to researchers, practising geotechnical engineers and consultants.

Robin Chowdhury completed his PhD from the University of Liverpool, England in 1970 and has had a professional and academic career spanning several decades. He is now an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia He has been a dedicated teacher, researcher and scholar and has supervised a number of postgraduate students for their PhD work. He has published many papers in scholarly journals and international conferences. He has been a visiting professor in a number of countries. He has frequently been invited as keynote speaker at International conferences. He has also been a consultant on projects at local, national and international levels. This has led him to be a strong advocate for observational methods and the need for monitoring slopes and landslides. His early work was concerned with factors influencing slope stability, landslide mechanisms and with deterministic methods of geotechnical analysis. Later explored the role probabilistic methods in slope analysis. He also developed a strong interest in progressive failure and how analysis can incorporate the related concepts. The analysis of landslide hazard and risk has been a very important part of Robin’s research. Robin has advocated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in solving geotechnical problems.

Gautam Bhattacharya, an experienced academic and researcher, is a former Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering, BESU, Shibpur as well as a former visiting professor of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur. A Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and a life member of the Indian Geotechnical Society and of the Indian Society for Technical Education, he also acted as the Vice Chairman of the Kolkata Chapter of the Indian Geotechnical Society. His major research interest centres around slope stability which he developed during his doctoral research at IIT Kanpur (1985-1990) where he worked for his thesis on application of optimization techniques in slope analysis. Since then he was engaged in teaching this subject and in pursuing research on both deterministic and probabilistic approaches of analysis of unreinforced and reinforced slopes under static and seismic conditions. He has teaching, research and consultancy experience in the field of geotechnical engineering for more than four decades now and is presently associated with several National and International Journals as reviewer and also as member of the editorial board.

Subhadeep Metya is presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jamshedpur, India. He obtained his B. Tech. (1st Class 1st) from the West Bengal University of Technology, followed by M. Tech. (1st Class 1st) and Ph. D. from Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur. During the tenure of his doctoral research at IIEST, Shibpur, Dr. Metya has been a recipient of the prestigious INSPIRE Fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, from whom he has also received the prestigious Newton-Bhabha PhD Placement Grant 2015-16 for his research stay at the Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering (ZCCE), Swansea University, UK. His awards and honours include the University Gold Medal in both B.Tech. and M.Tech., the IGS-Shri R.N. Prasad Biennial Prize (2015) and the IGS-HEICO Young Geotechnical Engineer Award (2018) by the Indian Geotechnical Society. Besides, he has gained a rare and invaluable experience and exposure on landslide related issues while attending the internationally well-known school on landslides "LARAM" held in University of Salerno, Italy in 2014. His current research interests include slope stability and landslides, geotechnical earthquake engineering, reinforced soil structures, and risk and reliability applications in civil engineering.