Practical Slope Stability Using Chart Solutions

Course Outline

Slope stability charts provide a means for rapid analysis of slope stability. They can be used for preliminary analyses, for checking detailed analyses, or for complete analyses. They are especially useful for making comparisons between design alternatives, because they provide answers so quickly. The purpose of this course is to teach engineers practical analysis method using slope stability charts. The course includes a review of the shear strength concepts, seepage analysis, conditions of equilibrium and slope stability analysis methods. Criteria are presented for strength tests, analysis conditions, and factors of safety. This course could be taken as a stand alone course or as a follow-up to PDH course C211 - Slope Stability. The course materials are based entirely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering Manual EM 1110-2-1902 Slope Stability.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

• Understand the basic concept of slope stability analysis;
• Understand the basic design considerations;
• Be familiar with slope stability analysis and design procedure;
• Be able to perform simple slope stability analysis using charts;
• Understand the limitation of chart solutions; and
• Be able to present a quick comparison between design alternatives.

Course Content

In this course, you are required to study the following:

Chapters 1 through 4, Appendices A through C and Appendix E of Slope Stability (Engineering Manual EM 1110-2-1902, 2003 edition, PDF file. 7.2 MB).

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The following contains the outline of the Engineering Manual EM 1110-2-1902:

Engineering and Design - Slope Stability

Cover
Transmittal Letter
Table of Contents
*Chapter 1 - Introduction
*Chapter 2 - Design Considerations
*Chapter 3 - Design Criteria
*Chapter 4 - Calculations and Presentations
*Appendix A - References
*Appendix B - Notation
*Appendix C - Stability Analysis Procedures - Theory and Limitations
Appendix D - Shear Strength Characterization
*Appendix E - Chart Solutions for Embankment Slopes
Appendix F - Example Problems and Calculations
Appendix G - Procedures and Examples for Rapid Drawdown

*Required reading for this course.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Slope Stability Analysis Software
Geo-Slope.com
Slope Stability
Excavation and Backfill

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.org or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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