Coupling of the Finite Element Limit Equilibrium Method with the Stochastic Search Algorithm and Its Application for an Embankment Dam

Coupling of the Finite Element Limit Equilibrium Method with the Stochastic Search Algorithm and Its Application for an Embankment Dam | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Coupling of the Finite Element Limit Equilibrium Method with the Stochastic Search Algorithm and Its Application for an Embankment Dam Juraj Štetiar, Juraj Chalmovský This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7133779/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Slope stability analysis is a crucial task in the design of geotechnical structures. In many computational methods, such as those combining displacement-based finite element methods and strength reduction techniques, no assumptions are made a priori about the shape or position of the failure mechanism. This is usually considered to be a positive feature but there are situations where the ability to control the search domain for the critical slip surface might be of interest. These are the cases where the critical slip surface converges towards a local (unintended) one, or when it is necessary to determine the factor of safety for slopes with varying inclinations such as the upstream and downstream slopes of embankment dams. This article presents the Finite Element Limit Equilibrium Method (FELEM), which integrates stress states computed by the finite element method along a predefined trial slip surface to determine the factor of safety. This method is combined with a swarm-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm to identify the critical slip surface with the lowest factor of safety. The combined approach is tested on two numerical examples, addressing issues such as discretization error, optimization procedure settings, and non-associated plastic flow. Finally, the combination of FELEM and the optimization algorithm is applied to a boundary value problem of a newly designed embankment dam. Slope stability is evaluated independently for both the upstream and downstream slope, each with a different inclination. Computations are performed for the hydrostatic and steady-state seepage conditions. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 03 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 02 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 31 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 30 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 30 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7133779","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":494103018,"identity":"da89ac6c-3237-4c9c-81cf-07fc4e956f97","order_by":0,"name":"Juraj Štetiar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAv0lEQVRIie3QsQrCMBCA4SuBm1Jdk6XPcNJV9FVSCh2dHUQigk7uPkZHx0IgU7UP0EGhL1BwVbCDDk6Jm0P+6ZaPOw4gFPrDxoyZ7vmYDiP3JHKPBcW6AEBfQg0nEWvzAwEDRPLUZOX1YHtYrd0i2oK6Teo2K+0oP4JFN2EMKlLYpmR5CpH2uA5ZpEWFlw8RbsKHNXKzq5I3ITcRDDGFOk+kXeSgrHKTedPcO1jO+MicDfQ+H/vOY0coFAqFfHoBbW4ygSjF1TkAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juraj","middleName":"","lastName":"Štetiar","suffix":""},{"id":494103023,"identity":"d6bb773d-fac3-4005-a633-a6336cada2cf","order_by":1,"name":"Juraj Chalmovský","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juraj","middleName":"","lastName":"Chalmovský","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-15 20:08:10","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7133779/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7133779/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88332051,"identity":"7ab2c0d9-4a39-4059-a368-7c7e8e7f37d1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-05 11:03:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2417765,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FELEMPSOImpactREV20250728.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7133779/v1_covered_c1ffbce1-fd16-46ff-834e-8834f9fc9cb6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Coupling of the Finite Element Limit Equilibrium Method with the Stochastic Search Algorithm and Its Application for an Embankment Dam","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7133779/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7133779/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Slope stability analysis is a crucial task in the design of geotechnical structures. 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