Chart-Based Granular Slope Stability Assessment Using the Modified Mohr–Coulomb Criterion

Abstract There are usually two types of slopes in nature: soil and rock. However, the granular slope has gradually come into view and has caused concern. In this paper, a modified Mohr–Coulomb (MC) criterion has been proposed to estimate the strength parameters of medium materials using a new parameter ( $$\tau_{0}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>τ</mml:mi> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> ) instead of the traditional MC parameter (c). Meanwhile, there is a new stability chart of a granular slope whose core is the dimensionless stability number Ns and dimensionless coefficient DR based on a modified MC criterion to estimate the safety factor of a granular slope preliminarily when the geometric and strength parameters of the slope are determined. A practical case is introduced to test the results, showing that the stability chart proposed in this paper is applicable to granular slopes. The research content and the proposed new viewpoints are intended to offer preliminary judgments on the stability analysis of granular slopes and provide guidance for the stability analysis and construction design of granular slope engineering.