Memory AnchorsCELE · Geotechnical EngineeringReal content

CELE Geotechnical Engineering — Slope Stability and Soil ImprovementMemory Anchors

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Memory anchors and mnemonic tricks for Slope Stability and Soil Improvement. If you find yourself forgetting key facts from this chapter during CELE mocks, these anchors are your fix. Built for Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) — Board of Civil Engineering's question style and the time pressure of the CELE 2026.

Exam context

For the Civil Engineer Licensure Examination, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) — Board of Civil Engineering tests Geotechnical Engineering under a "Core" label, with Slope Stability and Soil Improvement in the 11th slot across 11 chapters. CELE candidates must clear the 70% weighted average, no sub-test below 50% cut on the 2026 paper, which draws about a meaningful share of Geotechnical Engineering questions. Date to watch: May and November 2026.

Slope Stability and Soil Improvement - Memory Anchors

Memory anchors are cognitive shortcuts that dramatically improve recall by linking new, abstract information to vivid, familiar mental images, stories, and patterns. Research in cognitive science confirms that emotional, sensory, and narrative encoding bypasses rote memorization and stores information in long-term memory. For PRC board exam preparation, where you must recall dozens of formulas and decision rules under pressure, well-crafted mnemonics, analogies, and micro-stories can mean the difference between a passing and failing score. This set of 20 memory anchors covers every key concept in Slope Stability and Soil Improvement — from the Factor of Safety to soil improvement methods — using techniques proven to stick. Use them actively: close your eyes, visualize the story or image, and rehearse the recall trigger daily.

Anchors

Topic

Factor of Safety

Concept

Factor of Safety definition: FS = Resisting / Driving

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Imagine a tug-of-war between two teams on a muddy hillside. The RESISTING team (wearing red, holding the slope back) vs. the DRIVING team (wearing blue, trying to pull the soil downhill). FS is the score ratio: how many times stronger the red team is than the blue team. If FS = 1.5, the red team pulls 1.5× harder. When FS drops to 1.0, it's a tie — and the slope FAILS. Design requires the red team to always be at least 1.3 to 1.5 times stronger.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Tug-of-war is universally familiar and physically embodies the force ratio concept. The color coding (red = resist, blue = drive) adds an extra memory layer.

Example Usage

Exam question asks for FS definition: 'The red team (resistance) vs. blue team (driving) — FS = red/blue = resisting moment or force / driving moment or force.'

Recall Trigger

Think 'tug-of-war on a hill' whenever you see FS.

Topic

Factor of Safety

Concept

FS target range: 1.3 to 1.5 for slopes

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Remember '13 to 15' as the Filipino school grading scale equivalent — a passing grade range. Just as a student needs to score at least 13 out of 15 to pass a strict professor, a slope needs FS between 1.3 and 1.5 to be considered safe and acceptable. Anything below 1.3 is like failing — dangerously close to collapse.

Anchor Type

chunking

Why It Works

Chunking the decimal numbers as a familiar grade range (13–15 in a 15-point quiz) makes them instantly relatable to Filipino students' academic experience.

Example Usage

When asked 'What is the typical design FS for slopes?' recall the passing grade analogy: 1.3 to 1.5.

Recall Trigger

Think '13 to 15 passing grade' for the FS target range.

Topic

Infinite Slope Analysis

Concept

Dry cohesionless infinite slope: FS = tan(φ) / tan(β)

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Use the phrase: 'PHI over BETA — Friction Beats the Angle.' PHI (φ) is the friction angle (your strength), BETA (β) is the slope angle (the enemy). The formula is literally: your friction tangent divided by the enemy's slope tangent. If your PHI > BETA, you WIN (FS > 1). Key insight: depth z cancels out — this FS is DEPTH-INDEPENDENT. Remember: 'The deeper you dig, the same FS you get.'

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

The 'friction beats the angle' phrase encodes the inequality condition (φ > β for stability) and the formula direction simultaneously. The depth independence note prevents the #1 student error.

Example Usage

Given φ = 32°, β = 20°: FS = tan 32° / tan 20° = 0.6249 / 0.3640 = 1.72. Stable because φ (32°) > β (20°).

Recall Trigger

Say 'PHI over BETA — Friction Beats the Angle' and picture the two Greek letters as opponents.

Topic

Infinite Slope Analysis

Concept

Cohesive infinite slope formula uses cos²β (not cosβ)

Anchor Id

Difficulty

hard

Memory Aid

A student named Cosine Carlo once forgot to SQUARE the cosine in a board exam and lost 3 points. His professor's angry face became his memory: 'COS SQUARED, Carlo! The normal stress on the failure plane involves TWO cosine contributions — one from the stress transformation and one from the component direction. That's why it's cos²β, not cosβ. Carlo now tattoos cos²β on his calculator cover.' This story highlights the most common pitfall in this formula.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

Micro-stories with negative consequences (losing points, angry professor) create emotional encoding that persists longer than dry formula recitation.

Example Usage

In the cohesive infinite slope formula, the friction term is: γz·cos²β·tan φ' — never just γz·cosβ·tan φ'.

Recall Trigger

Picture Carlo's tattoo: cos²β on a calculator.

Topic

Infinite Slope Analysis

Concept

Seepage parallel to slope reduces FS — uses γ' instead of γ

Anchor Id

Difficulty

hard

Memory Aid

Think of a wet bar of soap on a tilted tray. Dry soap stays put. Add water and it slides — the buoyancy effect reduces the effective weight pressing the soap into the tray, so friction drops, but the driving force stays. In slope terms: seepage introduces pore pressure, reducing effective normal stress. The friction term uses submerged unit weight γ' (≈ γ_sat/2) instead of γ, roughly halving the frictional resistance. 'Wet soap slides; seepage means trouble.'

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

The wet-soap-on-tray image is tactile and viscerally familiar. The 'roughly halves FS' quantitative insight gives a quick sanity-check tool.

Example Usage

If asked how seepage affects FS of a cohesionless infinite slope: seepage replaces γ with γ' in the friction term, roughly halving FS. Always check: 'Is there seepage? Use γ'.'

Recall Trigger

Wet soap on a tilted tray = seepage on a slope.

Topic

Infinite Slope Analysis

Concept

Angle of Repose: slope stable only when β < φ (for dry cohesionless soil)

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Visualize a perfectly poured ADOBO rice pyramid on a plate. The angle of that rice pile is exactly the angle of repose. No matter how high you pile it, the slope angle is always φ. If you try to make it steeper than φ (like β > φ), rice slides off immediately — FS < 1. The rice pile IS the infinite slope. Remember: β must stay below φ or you get 'rice all over the table' (failure).

Anchor Type

visual_association

Why It Works

The rice/adobo image is culturally resonant for Filipino students and directly demonstrates angle of repose as a physical, observable phenomenon.

Example Usage

A sandy slope with φ = 35° will naturally stabilize at β = 35°. Any excavation steeper than 35° in dry sand will fail.

Recall Trigger

Picture a rice mound on a plate — the stable slope angle equals φ.

Topic

Finite Slopes — Method of Slices

Concept

Method of Slices — divide failure mass into vertical slices

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Think of slicing a hopia (mooncake). The whole hopia is your failure mass above the circular arc. You can't analyze the whole thing at once, so you cut it into thin vertical slices. For each slice you ask: 'How much does this slice PUSH DOWN along the circle (driving)?' vs. 'How much FRICTION and COHESION resist it?' Then you add up all slices. The circle with the LOWEST total FS is the critical one — the hopia that crumbles easiest.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Hopia slicing is a culturally familiar Filipino pastry analogy that makes the numerical integration concept intuitive. The 'find the crumbliest hopia' image encodes the critical circle search.

Example Usage

FS (Fellenius) = Σ(c'ℓ + N'tan φ') / Σ(W sin α). Try multiple trial circles; the minimum FS circle is the critical slip surface.

Recall Trigger

Slicing hopia = method of slices on a circular failure arc.

Topic

Finite Slopes — Method of Slices

Concept

Swedish/Fellenius method vs. Bishop's method

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Use the acronym SAFE-BIG: Swedish (Fellenius) = Approximate = Fast = Easy. Bishop = Improved = Gives-better-result. Swedish is the 'SAFE but rough' method (slightly conservative, ignores interslice forces). Bishop's is the 'BIG upgrade' (accounts for horizontal interslice forces, more accurate). On the board exam, use Fellenius unless told otherwise — it's simpler and still gives a conservative (safe-side) answer.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

SAFE-BIG creates a pair of contrasting labels that encode both the method names and their relative accuracy simultaneously.

Example Usage

If exam gives a complex slope and asks for FS using the ordinary method of slices, use Fellenius: ignore interslice shear forces, compute N' = W cosα - ul.

Recall Trigger

SAFE (Swedish/Fellenius) vs. BIG (Bishop's better).

Topic

Taylor's Stability Chart

Concept

Taylor's Stability Number: Ns = c / (γ·H·FS)

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Remember 'Ns = C over GammaHFS' using the phrase: 'Number Stable = Cohesion over (Gamma-Height-Factor-Safety)'. Arrange as a fraction: C on top, γHFS on the bottom. The stability NUMBER tells you how much COHESION you need per unit of (γ·H) to maintain safety. Think of Ns as a 'cohesion efficiency rating' — higher Ns means you need more cohesion for the same slope height.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

The phrase 'Number Stable = Cohesion over Gamma-Height-Factor-Safety' spells out every variable in the fraction, eliminating confusion about what goes in numerator vs. denominator.

Example Usage

To find critical height: rearrange to H_cr = c / (γ·Ns) at FS = 1. Given c = 20 kPa, γ = 18 kN/m³, Ns = 0.06: H_cr = 20/(18×0.06) = 18.5 m.

Recall Trigger

Ns = C / (γHFS) — 'Number Stable, Cohesion on top.'

Topic

Taylor's Stability Chart

Concept

Critical height formula: H_cr = c / (γ·Ns) at FS = 1

Anchor Id

A10

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Visualize a JEEPNEY load limit sign: 'MAX HEIGHT = c/(γNs)'. The driver (soil) can only go as high as the sign allows before the overloaded roof (failure) collapses. The critical height is the maximum height at FS = 1 — push beyond it and the slope fails. The sign font: BIG 'c' on top (cohesion holds you up), small 'γNs' on the bottom (unit weight and stability number pull you down).

Anchor Type

visual_association

Why It Works

Jeepney load signs are iconic in Filipino urban life, making the 'maximum limit' concept of critical height immediately relatable. The visual fraction reinforces formula structure.

Example Usage

Board exam: 'Find H_cr for clay with c = 30 kPa, γ = 19 kN/m³, Ns = 0.055.' H_cr = 30/(19×0.055) = 28.7 m.

Recall Trigger

Jeepney MAX HEIGHT sign = H_cr = c/(γNs).

Topic

Soil Improvement — Densification

Concept

Vibroflotation — densifies loose granular soils using vibrating probe

Anchor Id

A11

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Think of shaking a bag of CHICHARON (pork rinds). Loose, uncompressed chicharon takes up a lot of space with air gaps. Shake the bag vigorously (vibrate it) and the pieces pack tightly — same volume of bag, much denser contents. Vibroflotation does exactly this to loose sand: the vibrating probe shakes out the air voids, densifying the soil. The resulting dense sand has higher bearing capacity and is less prone to liquefaction.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Chicharon bags are a universally relatable Filipino snack experience. The physical shaking-to-densify action directly mimics vibroflotation mechanics.

Example Usage

If asked which improvement method suits loose, saturated sand (liquefaction risk): vibroflotation (dynamic compaction or stone columns also acceptable). Rationale: densification reduces void ratio.

Recall Trigger

Shaking a chicharon bag = vibroflotation densification.

Topic

Soil Improvement — Consolidation Acceleration

Concept

Prefabricated Vertical (Wick) Drains — accelerate consolidation of soft clay

Anchor Id

A12

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Imagine Lola's kitchen with a thick clay cooking pot full of water. Normally, the water seeps out slowly through the thick clay walls (long drainage path = slow consolidation). Now someone pokes vertical drinking straws (wick drains) all the way through the clay walls. Water rushes out the straws MUCH faster — because the drainage path is now just the horizontal distance to the nearest straw, not the entire thickness. Wick drains are literally straws in soft clay for the soil's water to escape through, accelerating settlement so you can build faster.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

The cooking-pot/straw image is tactile, culturally resonant (Lola's kitchen = Filipino home), and mechanically accurate — reducing drainage path length from H to H/2 (or to drain spacing) is exactly the engineering principle.

Example Usage

For a soft, compressible clay site needing faster settlement: recommend preloading with wick drains. Explain: drainage path reduced from full layer thickness to half the drain spacing, drastically reducing consolidation time (t ∝ H_dr²).

Recall Trigger

Straws in Lola's clay pot = wick drains in soft clay.

Topic

Soil Improvement — Reinforcement

Concept

Geosynthetics (geogrid/geotextile) — soil reinforcement

Anchor Id

A13

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Think of REINFORCED CONCRETE: plain concrete is weak in tension, so you add steel bars. Plain soil is also weak in tension (especially in slopes), so you add geosynthetic layers — the 'rebar' of soil mechanics. Geogrids have large apertures (like heavy-duty laundry net bags) that interlock with soil particles, providing tensile resistance against slope failure. Geotextiles also separate, filter, and drain. Together they're the 'rebars and G.I. sheets of the soil world.'

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Connecting geosynthetics to the already-known concept of reinforced concrete exploits existing knowledge structures (schema-linking), one of the most powerful memory techniques.

Example Usage

For a steep embankment on weak foundation: recommend geogrid reinforcement. Geogrid provides tensile resistance at potential failure planes, effectively increasing the FS.

Recall Trigger

Geogrids = rebar in soil; geotextiles = G.I. sheets in soil.

Topic

Soil Improvement — Stabilization

Concept

Lime/cement stabilization — chemically improves weak clay

Anchor Id

A14

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Use the acronym POTS: Plasticity reduced, Optimum water content changed, Tensile strength improved, Swelling reduced. Add lime to soft clay and POTS happens. Like adding calamansi (lime) to a sauce to change its consistency — the chemistry transforms the clay structure. Cement works similarly but faster and stronger. Both reduce plasticity index (PI) and increase unconfined compressive strength (UCS).

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

POTS is short, memorable, and culturally connected to cooking — a universal Filipino activity. The calamansi-in-sauce analogy reinforces the chemical transformation concept.

Example Usage

Exam asks benefits of lime stabilization: recite POTS — Plasticity reduced, Optimum moisture changed, Tensile strength up, Swelling reduced. This explains why lime is used for expansive clays in road subgrades.

Recall Trigger

POTS = what lime does to clay. Calamansi in sauce = lime in soil.

Topic

Finite Slopes — Method of Slices

Concept

Critical slip circle — must try MANY circles to find minimum FS

Anchor Id

A15

Difficulty

hard

Memory Aid

A geotechnical engineer named Mang Entoy tried only ONE trial circle for a dam embankment. He got FS = 1.8 and approved construction. Two years later, the dam failed along a DIFFERENT circle where FS was only 1.05. The inquiry board found he never searched for the critical circle. Now every reviewer posts his mugshot with the caption: 'Try more circles — the minimum FS governs!' One trial is NEVER enough. The critical circle is like the weakest link in a chain — you must find it.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

The cautionary tale with a named character creates emotional encoding. The 'weakest link' metaphor reinforces the governing-minimum principle.

Example Usage

In any method-of-slices problem, the answer is the minimum FS among ALL trial circles tested, not just the first one computed.

Recall Trigger

Mang Entoy's dam = never use just one trial circle.

Topic

Taylor's Stability Chart

Concept

Ns is dimensionless — check units in H_cr = c/(γNs)

Anchor Id

A16

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Recite: 'Ns has no units, it's just a number pure / c in kPa, γ in kN per cubic — that's for sure / Divide the two and meters you will see / H_cr = c over γNs, plain as it can be.' The rhyme locks in: (1) Ns is dimensionless, (2) units check: kPa / (kN/m³) = m, confirming H_cr comes out in meters.

Anchor Type

rhyme

Why It Works

Rhymes use phonological encoding — the brain stores them in a separate memory track. The units check embedded in the rhyme prevents the common error of mis-stating H_cr units.

Example Usage

Board exam: H_cr = 20 kPa / (18 kN/m³ × 0.06) = 20/1.08 = 18.5 m. Unit check: kPa/(kN/m³) = (kN/m²)/(kN/m³) = m ✓

Recall Trigger

Recite the rhyme: 'Ns has no units, it's just a number pure...'

Topic

Soil Improvement — Reinforcement

Concept

Soil nailing — reinforcing in-situ soil with grouted bars

Anchor Id

A17

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Picture a WOODEN CUTTING BOARD (the slope) that is starting to split. You hammer nails through it at angles to hold the wood fibers together — the nails prevent the crack from propagating. Soil nailing does exactly this: steel bars are drilled and grouted into an existing soil slope (usually a cut), providing tensile resistance perpendicular to potential failure planes. The 'nails' hold the soil mass together from the inside out.

Anchor Type

visual_association

Why It Works

The cutting-board-nail image is spatially accurate and familiar. It correctly communicates that nails work in tension against a pulling-apart failure mode.

Example Usage

For stabilization of an existing steep cut slope in stiff clay: recommend soil nailing. Bars are drilled at 10–20° below horizontal, grouted, and face-protected with shotcrete.

Recall Trigger

Nails in a splitting cutting board = soil nails in a cut slope.

Topic

Soil Improvement — Densification

Concept

Dynamic compaction — heavy weight dropped repeatedly to densify deep loose fills

Anchor Id

A18

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Think of TAMPING RICE in a kaing (bamboo basket): you lift the basket and drop it repeatedly to compact the rice tightly. Dynamic compaction does the same on a grand scale — a crane lifts a heavy steel pounder (8–36 tonnes) and drops it from 10–40 m height repeatedly on the ground surface. The impact energy travels as stress waves into loose fill, collapsing grain structure and densifying it. 'Giant tamping for giant soil volumes.'

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Rice-in-kaing tamping is a familiar Filipino agricultural/cultural image that physically mimics the drop-and-compact action. Scaling it up with numbers (8–36 tonnes, 10–40 m) anchors the approximate parameter ranges.

Example Usage

For a reclaimed land site with thick loose hydraulic fill: recommend dynamic compaction. Energy per blow = W × h (weight × drop height). Repeat on a grid pattern, then proof-roll to verify.

Recall Trigger

Tamping rice in a kaing = dynamic compaction on loose fill.

Topic

Infinite Slope Analysis

Concept

Stability condition: dry cohesionless slope is stable when β < φ (depth-independent)

Anchor Id

A19

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Remember the rule as: 'PHI beats BETA, depth doesn't matter.' PHI (friction angle) must BEAT BETA (slope angle) for the slope to be stable. Depth z cancels out of the formula — you can prove this by expanding the cohesionless FS = tan φ / tan β: z is nowhere. So no matter how deep the failure plane, FS is always the same. This is the beauty of the infinite slope model for cohesionless soil.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

The alliterative 'PHI beats BETA' provides a quick verbal test AND the 'depth doesn't matter' clause prevents the most common student error of thinking deeper = lower FS for cohesionless soil.

Example Usage

Exam: 'A sand slope has φ = 30°, β = 35°, z = 5 m. Is it stable?' Since β (35°) > φ (30°), PHI does NOT beat BETA → slope is UNSTABLE (FS < 1) regardless of depth.

Recall Trigger

PHI beats BETA; depth is irrelevant for cohesionless infinite slopes.

Topic

Soil Improvement

Concept

Four soil improvement categories: Densification, Drainage/Consolidation, Reinforcement, Stabilization

Anchor Id

A20

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Use the acronym DDRS — 'Dapat Dense, Ready, Strong' (Filipino: 'Should be Dense, Ready [well-drained], Strong'): D = Densification (compaction, vibroflotation, dynamic compaction, stone columns), D = Drainage/consolidation acceleration (preloading, wick drains, dewatering), R = Reinforcement (geosynthetics, soil nails, reinforced earth), S = Stabilization (lime, cement, fly ash, grouting). This Filipino-flavored acronym covers all four improvement categories used on PRC boards.

Anchor Type

acronym

Why It Works

The Filipino phrase 'Dapat Dense, Ready, Strong' creates a culturally resonant mnemonic. The four initials DDRS cleanly map to the four improvement categories. Filipino phrases are processed faster by Filipino students due to language fluency advantage.

Example Usage

Board exam asks to classify 'grouting': S (Stabilization). 'Vibroflotation': D (Densification). 'Geogrid': R (Reinforcement). 'Preloading with wick drains': D (Drainage/consolidation).

Recall Trigger

Say 'Dapat Dense, Ready, Strong' → DDRS = Densification, Drainage, Reinforcement, Stabilization.

Revision Game

Factor of Safety (FS)

Clue

I am a ratio that must exceed 1.0 to keep a hillside from sliding. Engineers want me between 1.3 and 1.5. What am I?

Memory Link

A1 — Tug-of-war analogy: red team (resist) / blue team (drive). Target score: 1.3 to 1.5.

FS = tan φ / tan β (depth-independent)

Clue

For dry sand on a long uniform slope, I depend only on two angles — yours and the hill's. No matter how deep you dig, I stay the same. What formula gives me?

Memory Link

A3 — PHI over BETA, Friction Beats the Angle; A19 — depth doesn't matter for cohesionless.

cos²β (cosine squared of slope angle) — not cosβ

Clue

I am the most common mistake in the cohesive infinite slope formula. Students use me as a single power when I should appear as a second power. What am I?

Memory Link

A4 — Cosine Carlo's tattoo: cos²β on a calculator cover.

Prefabricated Vertical (Wick) Drains

Clue

I accelerate the squeezing of water out of soft clay by reducing the drainage path length. I look like vertical straws inserted into the ground. What am I?

Memory Link

A12 — Straws in Lola's clay pot: shorter drainage path = faster consolidation.

Taylor's Stability Number Ns; H_cr = c / (γ·Ns)

Clue

Taylor gave me a dimensionless number from a chart. When FS = 1, I can tell you the maximum height a clay slope can stand. Rearrange me to find H_cr.

Memory Link

A9 — Ns = C over (γHFS); A10 — Jeepney MAX HEIGHT sign.

DDRS — Dapat Dense, Ready, Strong

Clue

I am the Filipino acronym that names all four categories of soil improvement. Say me out loud and you immediately know: Densification, Drainage, Reinforcement, Stabilization.

Memory Link

A20 — Filipino phrase DDRS covering all four soil improvement categories.

The critical slip circle (minimum FS circle)

Clue

In the method of slices, I am NOT the first circle you try. I am the circle with the LOWEST factor of safety. Missing me caused Mang Entoy's dam to fail. Who am I?

Memory Link

A15 — Mang Entoy's cautionary tale: one trial circle is never enough.

FS is roughly halved because the friction term uses γ' (submerged unit weight, ≈ γ/2) instead of γ (total unit weight), reducing effective normal stress and hence friction resistance.

Clue

Seepage parallel to a slope does this to the FS of a cohesionless infinite slope — it approximately does this by a factor of about one-half. What happens and why?

Memory Link

A5 — Wet soap on a tilted tray: seepage means trouble, FS roughly halved.

Ns = Taylor's stability number (dimensionless, from chart); c = undrained cohesion (kPa); γ = unit weight (kN/m³); H = slope height (m); FS = factor of safety. H_cr is maximum safe height at incipient failure (FS = 1).

1. Draw a trial circular arc and divide the failure mass into n vertical slices
2. For each slice: find weight W, base angle α, arc length ℓ
3. Compute driving moment component: W sin α per slice
4. Compute resisting: c'ℓ + N' tan φ' per slice (N' = W cosα - uℓ)
5. Sum all slices: FS = Σ(resist) / Σ(drive)
6. Repeat for multiple circles; take minimum FS as critical

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CELE Geotechnical Engineering — Slope Stability and Soil ImprovementMemory Anchors

Exam context

Slope Stability and Soil Improvement - Memory Anchors

Anchors

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