System reliability analysis of plane slide rock slope using Barton-Bandis failure criterion

•The system reliability of rock slope with B-B failure criterion was analyzed.•The residual sliding force is used to represent the interaction force between blocks.•Inclined tension crack and hydraulic distribution are considered.

The stability of a plane rock slope with cracks is evaluated based on the nonlinear Barton-Bandis (B-B) failure criterion and system reliability theory. The influence of different parameters and the crack shape on the reliability of a plane rock slope system was analyzed. The results showed that the residual sliding force can reveal the interaction between the two adjacent sliding bodies of a plane rock slope reasonably and intuitively. The Monte Carlo method provides an effective means to process a sampling simulation. The slope stability is greatly influenced by parameters including the underground water level, the residual friction angle of the rock surface (ϕr), the joint roughness coefficient (JRC), and the joint compressive strength (JCS). With an increase in the uncertainty of the parameters, the value of the system reliability index falls significantly. An increase in the crack angle (δ), and a decrease in the horizontal distance B (the distance from the tensile crack to the edge of the slope top) causes the system reliability index to decrease rapidly, which indicates that the system reliability is highly sensitive to the crack shape.