ABSTRACT
Slope stability analysis has become a common analytical tool to assess the factor of safety of natural and man-made slopes. The principle components of this analysis are: the evaluation of the effective shear strength parameters of the soil; an evaluation of pore-water fluid pressures within the slope; and an evaluation of the factor of safety against mass movement, commonly using a limit equilibrium type of analyses. Consequently, the principal aspects of material characterization are the definition of the shear strength behavior of the soils, and the definition of the flow system within the slope from which the pore-water pressures can be obtained.
