Reliability-Based Partial Factors Considering Spatial Variability of Strength Parameters

The stability of six regional dyke cross-sections in the Netherlands was re-assessed using the random finite element method (RFEM), which explicitly accounts for the spatial variability of strength parameters. The RFEM assessments of the cross-sections were shown to result in significantly narrower response distributions than those obtained...

Sequential reduction of slope stability uncertainty based on temporal hydraulic measurements via the ensemble Kalman filter

A data assimilation framework, utilising measurements of pore water pressure to sequentially improve the estimation of soil hydraulic parameters and, in turn, the prediction of slope stability, is proposed. Its effectiveness is demonstrated for an idealised numerical example involving the spatial variability of saturated hydraulic...

Uncertainty reduction and sampling efficiency in slope designs using 3D conditional random fields

A method of combining 3D Kriging for geotechnical sampling schemes with an existing random field generator is presented and validated. Conditional random fields of soil heterogeneity are then linked with finite elements, within a Monte Carlo framework, to investigate optimum sampling locations and the cost-effective design of a slope. The...