چکیده : 

In this study, upper bound finite element (FE) limit analysis is applied to stability problems of slopes

using a nonlinear criterion. After formulating the upper bound analysis as the dual form of a second-order

cone programming (SOCP) problem, the stress field and corresponding shear strength parameters can be

determined iteratively. Thus, the nonlinear failure criterion is represented by the shear strength parameters

associated with stress so that the analysis of slope stability using a nonlinear failure criterion can be

transformed into the traditional upper bound method with a linear Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion.

Comparison with published solutions illustrates the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method

for a simple homogeneous slope stability problem. The proposed approach is also applied to a seismic

stability problem for a rockfill dam to study the influence of different failure criterions on the upper

bound solutions. The results show that the seismic stability coefficients obtained using two different nonlinear

failure criteria are similar but that the convergence differs significantly.