Stability analysis of soil slope during rapid drawdown of water level

The principles of limit equilibrium methods (LEM) and shear strength reduction technique (SSRFEM )are introduced on stability analysis of soil slope under Seepage. The finite element model under Coupled Deformation and Seepage Fields is established, which takes into account the effect of plastic deformation, saturation and void ratio on the properties of soil materials, the soil-water characteristic curve and the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, one typical soil slope is simulated during rapid drawdown of water level. The results show that seepage raises the critical slip surfaces, and critical slip surfaces, saturation lines and safety factors by two ways are very close. In addition, by analyzing, it can be concluded that the SSRFEM is more suitable for evaluating global stability of slopes than LEM.