Abstract: In the presence of local load on the top of slope, a potential sliding surface would induce local buckling failure instead of passing through the slope toe. For inhomogeneous slopes of which the cohesion varies linearly with depth, the calculation formula of the upper-bound analysis of inhomogeneous slope under local load is derived by incorporating a scale factor of cohesion, and the correlation function between safety factor and start angle, end angle and height of critical sliding surface is established. The theoretical formula is transformed into the problem of minimum value of multivariate function and the optimal solution is obtained. The influences of scale factor and local load on slope stability are mainly investigated. Results indicate that the scale factor has a significant impact on the safety factor and the critical height of sliding surface. Local load on slope top mainly controls the failure scope, and also affects the factor of safety.

Key words: inhomogeneous slope, local load, upper bound theorem, safety factor, critical sliding surface