Assessment of dike safety within the framework of large deformation analysis with the material point method

Abstract

Dike infrastructure is of vital importance for the safety against flooding. The standard methodologies for the assessment of dike safety for macrostability are based on limit equilibrium methods, which result in a safety factor against shear failure. The more advanced alternative consists of using finite element method to compute the safety factor against shear failure. However, these approaches do not take into account the capacity of the dike to retain water, but are only concerned with the mechanical equilibrium of the dike's initial composition. With the recent advancements in the modelling of large deformations within geotechnical engineering, e.g. by means of the material point method, the post failure behaviour of the dike can be predicted. The material point method is a mesh-free method that has been developed to address the problem of large deformation on a continuum level. The material point method offers the possibility to redefine the concept of factor of safety against shear failure. The initial shear failure of a dike does not necessarily lead to the loss of the dike's capability to retain water. In reality, after the initial shear failure the mass of soil will move and reach a new equilibrium position. This paper, after a brief description of the material point method, presents the analysis of a progressive dike failure, where the post failure behaviour is examined and a proposal is made to redefine the concept of factor of safety.