Study on the effect of strength anisotropy on the stability of soil slopes

Anisotropy of friction angle in natural deposited soil may have significant influence on the stability of soil slopes. Stability analysis was carried on an uniform soil slope with anisotropic friction angle, in order to study on the effect of frictional anisotropy on slope stability.Spencer’s method was used, and the variation of friction angle was assumed to be linear with the change of direction of the slip surface. It was shown that 7~10 percent of change in safety factor might achieve within a 10m-highed anisotropic soil slope. Furthermore, the results also showed that frictional anisotropy had no obvious effect on the location of critical slip surface.