Typical Engineer Story

Image by  Residential Slope Stabilization | South Hadley, MA (wellnesscapes.com) In geotechnical engineering, the method of slices is a foundational technique for analysing the stability of slopes. The factor of safety is determined by slicing the soil mass along a potential failure surface into a series of vertical slices and calculating the forces operating on each slice. The factor of safety (FS) quantifies the margin of safety against slope failure. It is the ratio between the shear strength and the shear stress necessary to maintain equilibrium. The process of slicing involves three essential steps: The failure surface is a hypothetical surface along which the soil material may slide as a result of external forces like gravity or seepage. The failure surface is selected based on engineering judgement and field observations. Division of the soil mass into segments: The soil mass is divided into equal or variable-width vertical slices. The size and number of slices are determined by