Software: FLAC/Slope

Overview

Advanced factor-of-safety determination for rock and soil slopes in two dimensions

FLAC/Slope uses the graphical interface and the automatic factor-of-safety calculation of FLAC as the core of a new, user-friendly code that models slope stability problems under a wide variety of slope conditions. These include: arbitrary slope geometries, multiple layers, pore pressure conditions, heterogeneous soil properties, surface loading, and structural reinforcement.

FLAC/Slope uses the same calculation method as FLAC with a simplified modeling environment that provides tools and facilities exclusive to slope stability analyses. The result is a code that offers rapid model development, proven analytical capabilities, and fast solution reporting. Users of FLAC will find the FLAC/Slope modeling environment familiar. However, experience with FLAC is not necessary to learn and operate FLAC/Slope.

FLAC/Slope is now available at or below the cost of some popular Limit Equilibrium codes and at a fraction of the cost of a full FLAC license.

Main Features

Tools within the graphical interface allow for rapid model development at each stage of the process, including:

• creation of the slope geometry
• addition of layers
• specification of materials either manually or from a database
• location of a water table
• positioning a planar or non-planar material interface
• application of surface loading at any location
• installation of structural support such as soil nails or rock bolts

Advantages

FLAC/Slope offers these advantages over Limit Equilibrium methods:

• Any failure mode develops naturally; there is no need to specify a range of trial surfaces in advance
• No artificial parameters (e.g., functions for inter-slice angles) need to be given as input
• Multiple failure surfaces (or complex internal yielding) evolve naturally, if the conditions give rise to them
• Structural interaction (e.g., rock bolt, soil nail or geogrid) is modeled realistically as fully coupled deforming elements, not simply as equivalent forces
• Solution consists of mechanisms that are feasible kinematically