The upper bound technique of limit analysis has been found to be very successful in analyzing the stability of cuttings in normally consolidated clays. However, most soils in their natural states exhibit some anisotropy with respect to shear strength, and some nonhomogeneity with respect to depth. It is difficult to obtain the solution based on the classical limit equilibrium analysis with the assumed noncircular failure plane with such soil properties included. This paper establishes an expression for the stability factor Ns, based on the upper bound technique of limit analysis which yields a close-formed solution for sections in which the following conditions are considered: (a) log-spiral failure-plane, through and below toe; (b) non-homogeneity; (c) anisotropy; and (d) general slope.

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