Slope Stability Simulation Analysis of Homogenous Earth Dams

The major problem when it comes to homogeneous earth dams is the slope stability of the dam. Geo Studio is a software using finite element analysis to evaluate the performance of hydraulic structures. The simulation software can satisfactorily analyze of different conditions, soil parameters, analysis methods and applications. This study aims to simulate different combination designs of a homogeneous earth dam. It will obtain the factor of safety on each combination design of a homogeneous earth dam for slope stability due to downstream flow. A total of 98 simulations were analyzed to check the factor of safety (FOS) of the different soil properties and slope ratio combinations. Throughout all the 98 simulations there is a change in the values of the factor of safety depending on the slope and the soil type used. In the simulation data the highest value of the factor of safety of 2.890 is from the combination of slope of 2V:1H and MH (silt with a high plasticity), while the lowest value of factor of safety of 0.454 is from the combination of slope 2:1 and SP (poorly graded, small silt). This study uses Pearson’s R Correlation method to solve for the relationship between the slope and the factor of safety. The computed r value is 0.616 and is greater than the r tabular value of 0.1946 with 96 degrees of freedom and 0.05 level of significance. It is recommended using the slope 1V:2H since it has the widest base, and has a desirable value for factor of safety, which would prevent the susceptibility to failure of the dam.