Influence of undercut and surface crack on the stability of a vertical escarpment

Stability of vertical escarpments has been the subject of discussion for long time. However, available literature provides scarce knowledge about the effect of the formation of undercut and surface cracks on the stability of a vertical escarpment. The present study deals with a systematic analysis of the effect of surface cracks and undercut on slope stability using finite element based lower bound limit analysis. In the present analysis, the nondimensional stability factor (<i>&#947;H/c</i>) is used to inspect the degrading effect of undercut and cracks developed at different offset distances from the edge of the vertical escarpment. Failure patterns are also studied in detail to understand the extent and the type of failure zone which may generate during the state of collapse.