A novel approach to stability analysis of random soil-rock mixture slopes using finite element method in ABAQUS

Abstract

Minimizing the damage caused by landslide disasters in regions with complex geological conditions requires the development of effective and reliable methods for assessing slope stability. This study aims to generate and analyze the stability of random soil-rock mixture slope models, considering the rock block content, spatial distribution, and convexity-concavity feature of rock blocks in the slope. A Python script was developed to create these random soil-rock mixture models using the ABAQUS finite element software. Additionally, the strength reduction technique was applied to calculate the factor of safety via a USDFLD subroutine implemented in ABAQUS. A series of numerical analyses were conducted to assess the impact of rock block content and the convexity-concavity feature of rock blocks on the stability of soil-rock mixture slopes. Moreover, the impact of the random spatial distribution of rock blocks on the stability of soil-rock mixture slopes was discussed. The results show that rock block content below 20% can affect slope stability both negatively and positively. Notably, significant improvements in the stability of soil-rock mixture slopes are observed only when the rock block content exceeds 30%. Furthermore, the convexity-concavity feature of rock blocks can improve the safety factor of the slopes. This study provides a comprehensive methodology and serves as a valuable reference for estimating the safety factor of soil-rock mixture slopes using the finite element method.