Abstract

Numerical methods are by now widely used for the deformation prediction of geotechnical structures, as well as for the investigation of the serviceability limit state (SLS). Furthermore, numerical calculations such as the finite element method can also be used for the analysis of the load bearing capacity (ULS) in geotechnical engineering. This has been demonstrated, for example, by numerous comparative calculations on slopes using the strength reduction method. Based on this, in the first section of the paper, the strength reduction method is reproduced using a newly developed Python script and the results are compared with recognised methods. After a successful verification, this script will be extended by means of being able to analyse structural elements regarding their bearing capacity reserves.

For this purpose, structural elements are modelled using embedded beam row elements inside a slope for slope stabilisation. To determine the load-bearing reserves of the system, the diameter of the elements is reduced until failure occurs. For this purpose, a safety factor is defined based on the reduction of the diameter. For verification, this method is compared with analytical methods via a comparative calculation. However, there are significant differences in the calculated safety factors, which is due to the different failure modes investigated in the analysis methods compared (bending, shear and ground failure). Due to this, numerical methods in our future research will be used to investigate all possible failure mechanisms in one calculation together to identify the main failure mechanism.