Surrounding Rocks Stability Analysis of Circular Tunnel Using Strength Reduction Method and Sliding-t Test

Abstract

SRM (strength reduction method) is a kind of numerical limit method widely used in stability analysis of geotechnical engineering. This paper introduced the origin, basic principles, and operation process of SRM firstly, then introduced a new type of SRM considering the “strength reduction shortest path”. Moreover, both two methods were applied to solve the safety factor of an identical simulation model. In addition, sliding-t test was engaged to determine the accurate abrupt change position of the feature point’s displacement, which presented considerable operability and accuracy. Finally, it was concluded that this new type SRM is more conservative than the traditional SRM, and the calculated safety factor of the same simulation model is about 25% lower.