ABSTRACT
Assessment of seismic displacements of slopes based on Newmark sliding block method represents a routine engineering practice. This chapter presents the results of a pseudostatic slope stability analysis aiming to address the influence of strength envelope nonlinearity on the computed yield acceleration of a uniform slope in a homogeneous soil. It examines through a parametric study the influence of soil strength envelope nonlinearity on the computed yield acceleration of a uniform slope in a homogeneous soil. The chapter illustrates the significant effect of strength envelope nonlinearity in assessment of seismic slope stability. The discrepancy between yield accelerations computed using linear and nonlinear strength models becomes larger for smaller height slopes and steeper slopes. This is related to the fact that in smaller height slopes and steeper slopes, the zones of smaller normal stresses which are within the range of pronounced strength envelope nonlinearity have more extent.
