An analytical solution for buckling failure of rock slopes based on elastoplastic slab theory

Buckling failure is one of the classical types of catastrophic landslides developing on inclination-paralleled rock slopes, which is mainly governed by its self-weight, earthquake and ground water. However, nearly none of the existing studies fully consider the influence of slope self-weight, earthquake and ground water on the mechanical model of buckling failure. In this paper, based on energy equilibrium principle and elastoplastic slab theory, a thorough mechanical analysis on bucking slopes has been carried out. Furthermore, an analytical solution for slip bucking failure of rock slopes has been proposed, which fully considers the effect of slope self-weight, seismic force and hydrostatic pressure. Finally, the methodology is used to conduct comparative analysis with other analytical solutions for three practical buckling studies. The results show that the proposed approach is capable of providing a more accurate and reasonable evaluation for stability of rock slopes with potential buckling failure.