Introduction

SLOPE/W can be used to complete a stability analysis with the objective being to check an ultimate limit state in accordance with various limit state design approaches such as Eurocode 7, Norwegian Standard NS 3480, and British Standard 8006. The stability analysis is completed with partial factors applied to characteristic loads and soil strength parameters. The calculated Factor of Safety (FS), which is interpreted as an over-design factor, must be greater than or equal to 1.0 for the design to be deemed safe. The purpose of this example is to demonstrate how to conduct a stability analysis in accordance with one particular implementation of the limit state design philosophy: Eurocode 7 (Orr and Farrell, 1999; Bond and Harris, 2008). The principles, however, apply to all codes that adopt a limit state design philosophy. Three cases are considered to explore the effect of factoring shear strength, surcharge loads, unit weight, and reinforcement loads is explored.