Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 118 views

    Surcharge Loads

    Uploaded by

    Javier Andres Martinez Ortega
    geo5

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Surcharge Loads

    Uploaded by

    Javier Andres Martinez Ortega
    118 views3 pages
    geo5

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    geo5

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    118 views3 pages

    Surcharge Loads

    Uploaded by

    Javier Andres Martinez Ortega
    geo5

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Surcharge Loads

    GEO-SLOPE International Ltd. | www.geo-slope.com


    1200, 700 - 6th Ave SW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 0T8
    Main: +1 403 269 2002 | Fax: +1 888 463 2239

    Introduction
    Surcharge loads can be used in a stability analysis to model a variety of loads at the ground surface,
    including equipment loads and material placement. This simple example illustrates the application of
    a surcharge load and discusses how it is incorporated in the stability calculations.

    Numerical Simulation
    The numerical analysis comprises a slope with a pile of sand placed near the crest (Figure 1). The pile
    of sand could have been modeled as a region, but sometimes it is more convenient to model certain
    features with a surcharge load. A key difference in this case is that the trial slip surfaces will not pass
    through the sand material. As such, any shear resistance from within the sand is excluded, while the
    driving force from the weight of the sand is included.

    Surcharge load representing a pile of


    sand with a unit weight of 20 kN/m3

    25

    20
    Elevation (m)

    15

    10

    0
    0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

    Distance (m)

    Figure 1. Example configuration.

    1
    Results and Discussion
    Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the critical factor of safety results when the surcharge load is excluded
    and included, respectively. The factor of safety naturally decreases with the application of a driving
    load. The location of the critical slip surface also changes between the two analyses.

    1.564

    25

    20
    Elevation (m)

    15

    10

    0
    0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

    Distance (m)

    Figure 2. Factor of safety without the surcharge load.

    Surcharge load representing a pile of


    sand with a unit weight of 20 kN/m3
    1.423

    25

    20
    Elevation (m)

    15

    10

    0
    0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

    Distance (m)

    Figure 3. Factor of safety with the surcharge load.

    The effect of the surcharge can be viewed by looking at free-body diagrams for individual slices.
    Figure 4 shows the free-body diagram for Slice 4. The slice width is 1.3083 m. The vertical distance
    from the green ground surface line to the surcharge line at the mid-point of the slice is 2.6602 m.
    The magnitude of the force representing the surcharge is calculated as:

    2.6602 m * 20 kN/m3 * 1.3083 m = 69.607 kN

    2
    Figure 4. Free body diagram for Slice 4.

    It is important to recognize that the surcharge load is essentially adding to the slice weight. This
    affects the slice base normal and, in-turn, the base shear resistance. The base normal for slice 4
    without the surcharge load is approximately 95 kN.

    Summary and Conclusions


    This simple example demonstrates the application of a surcharge load at the top of a slope. The
    results can be interpreted by looking at the slice forces and free-body diagram to make sure that the
    surcharge loads have been applied as intended.

    You might also like