Probabilistic seismic stability analysis of slope at a given site in a specified exposure time

• A probabilistic approach for seismic stability analysis of a slope is presented.
• The PGA distribution is derived based upon the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps data.
• The new sampling method is adopted for the uncertainties propagation.
• Parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of the uncertain factors.

This paper presents a probabilistic approach for seismic stability analysis of a slope at a given site in a specified exposure time. For a probabilistic seismic stability analysis, the ground motion parameter, in terms of the peak ground acceleration (PGA), at a given site in a specified exposure time of interest (say, 30 years) is treated as a random variable, and the PGA distribution at the given site is derived based on the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps data. Further, the spatial variability of the soil property is simulated herein by a random field, and the fluctuation of the groundwater level is simulated by a random variable. Within the probabilistic framework, a deterministic model for evaluating the slope stability is required; here, a pseudo-static analysis is adopted and implemented through 2D finite difference program FLAC version 7.0. In the face of the uncertainties in the input parameters, the performance or safety of the slope is expressed as a failure probability; within the proposed probabilistic analysis framework, a recently developed sampling method is adopted for the uncertainties propagation through the deterministic solution model. This probabilistic analysis framework is demonstrated with an illustrative example of a two-layer earth slope. Finally, a parametric study is undertaken to investigate how the failure probability of the slope (at a given site in a specified exposure time) is affected by the uncertain factors such as the earthquake-induced ground motion and the spatial variability of soil property. The study results demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of the proposed framework for probabilistic seismic stability analysis of slope at a given site in a specified exposure time.