Seismic response of saturated cohesionless slopes

The serviceability of a slope after an earthquake is controlled by deformations, consequently a stability analysis that predicts slope displacements is desirable. In cohesionless satured slopes the seismic loading may produce an increase in pore pressures, which in turn, reduces significantly the effective state of stress. Depending on the seismic intensity and on the effective stress conditions before the seismic loading, the induced excess pore pressures may produce the slope failure. Slope displacements may occur even for seismic accelerations lower then the initial critical acceleration, because of pore pressure build-up. In this paper, a simplified procedure for the seismic response of infinite slopes is described, and the role-played by relevant parameters such as soil relative density and initial pore pressure ratio is pointed out.