Assignment on Slope Stability PDF

Geo Test question 2
Slope Stability.
Question 2
Slope stability is the ability of the slopes covered with soil to withstand and undertake or
undergo movement. Slope stability is determined by the balance that exists between the shear
stress and the shear strength. Stress and strength in slope stability are stated in terms of safety
factors if their quantities are combined over a potential sliding surface (Cao,Wang & Li 2017).
Slope failure or the movement of materials down the hill occurs when the tress exceeds the
strength. There are various factors that determine the strength in the slope stability which include
the pressure, swelling, cracking, increased pore pressure, decomposition of rocky fills that are
made of clay, strain softening, leaching, cyclic loading and weathering. Shear stress can be
increased by additional loads on top of a slope, when water pressure in the cracks found on top
of a slope increases, when soil weight increases due to water presence, seismic effects and when
digging occurs at the bottom of the slope. Trigger mechanism that can lead to slope failure
includes the climatic events which makes the slope resulting to mass movements one example is
rainfall which increases soil weight (McColl 2015). Other triggers include the level of stress,
erosion, temperatures and the slope geometry.