Probabilistic Analysis of Shallow Passive Trapdoor in Cohesive Soil

AbstractThis technical note used the random finite-element method (RFEM) to investigate the influence of soil strength variability on the limit load of a shallow passive trapdoor embedded in cohesive soil. The mean undrained shear strength was held constant while the coefficient of variation and spa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering 2019-06, Vol.145 (6)
Main Authors: Zhu, Desheng, Griffiths, D. V, Huang, Jinsong, Gao, Yufeng, Fenton, Gordon A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coefficient of variation
Cohesive soils
Computer simulation
Finite element method
Limit load
Mathematical models
Probabilistic analysis
Probability theory
Safety
Shear strength
Soil
Soil investigations
Soil strength
Spatial variations
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Technical Note
Technical Notes
Variability
Variation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:AbstractThis technical note used the random finite-element method (RFEM) to investigate the influence of soil strength variability on the limit load of a shallow passive trapdoor embedded in cohesive soil. The mean undrained shear strength was held constant while the coefficient of variation and spatial correlation length were varied systematically. For trapdoors against soils with low values of the coefficient of variation, the mean limit load agreed well with the results from a uniform deterministic analysis. For higher values of the coefficient of variation, the mean limit load decreased. By interpreting the Monte Carlo simulations in a probabilistic context, the probability of failure was assessed as a function of the factor of safety based on the mean and the spatial variability of the soil. It was found, for example, that a factor of safety of 2.5 is required to avoid the probability of failure exceeding 5% for soils with strength variability within typical ranges.
ISSN:1090-0241
1943-5606
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002051