A set of failure variables for analyzing stability of slopes and tunnels

A set of relatively simple five local shear and tension failure variables is presented and then implemented into a generalized poroelastic hydromechanical numerical model to analyze failure potential and stability of variably saturated geologic media. These five local shear and tension failure variables are formulated from geometrical relationships between the Mohr circle and the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion superimposed with the tension cutoff, which approximate together the Mohr effective stress failure envelope. Finally, fully coupled groundwater flow and land deformation in two variably saturated geologic media, which are associated with a slope (Case 1) and a tunnel (Case 2), respectively, and their failure potential and stability are simulated using the resultant hydromechanical numerical model. The numerical simulation results of both cases show that shear and tension failure potential and stability of variably saturated geologic media can be analyzed numerically simply and efficiently and even better by using the five local shear and tension failure variables as a set than by using the conventional factors of safety against shear and tension failures only.