New method for slope stability analysis

A new method is proposed for the calculation of slope stability, and the basic theories and formula derivations of the method are introduced. The method is based on the idea of both the finite element method and the limit equilibrium method. In contrast with that of the classical limit equilibrium methods for the calculation of slope stability, the advantage of the new method is that it can strictly satisfy all the equilibrium conditions without factitious simplification and assumptions to the inter-slice forces, and only needs to specify a slip surface with any shape. The analyses of numerical examples indicate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method, that is, it is practical to use for many applications and has advantages of relatively simple calculation formulas, easy programming and fast convergence in iterations.