Unique Direction of Sliding in Three-Dimensional Slope Stability Analysis

Kalatehjari et al. examine how 3D slope failures tend to develop a unique, definable direction of sliding that differs from the assumed 2D section direction. They show that using only 2D cross-sections can miss the critical sliding direction and underestimate or overestimate the factor of safety. The paper proposes a generalised 3D search strategy that improves identification of the true failure mechanism, especially for mine waste dumps and complex terrain.