ABSTRACT
This paper presents the applications of the probabilistic analysis method to structured or inhomogeneous rock/soil slopes via a window–s version computer package, ProSlope® Version 1.0, developed by the first author. Through a realistic case study of a slope in an open cut mine, three approximate approaches for the probabilistic analysis, ie Monte Carlo Simulation method (MCSM), conventional First Order and Second Moment method (FOSM) and Hasofer & Lind’s First Order and Second Moment method (FOSMHL), are applied to examine the similarities and differences among them. Five most widely used probability distributions are employed to simulate the basic input random variables for MCSM and to examine the influence of these distributions on the failure probability of a slope. Meanwhile, the influences of the correlation between cohesion and internal friction angle in the same geological domain and uncertainty of the groundwater level on the failure probability of a slope is also closely examined.
