Slope Stability
Slope failure can occur through natural causes or poor engineering design.
Slope instability can present as sudden movements of soil or rock, commonly known as landslip or landslide, to the slower downward movement of clay soils known as ‘hillside creep’. Slope instability can be caused by many factors including climatic conditions, removal of vegetation, cutting a slope too steeply, presence of natural planes of weakness, seismic activity, loading the top of a slope and excavating at the base of a slope.
Assessing the stability of an existing slope or a planned cut slope starts with getting a good ground model through appropriate ground investigation with careful inspection of the ground by suitably qualified and experienced consultants. Analysis of slope stability can vary from qualitative assessment through simple calculations and conservative guidelines to complex analysis by specialist geotechnical software packages.
Whatever complexity of assessment is required, BRD have the expertise to advise on the stability of existing or proposed slopes.