1. What is Factor of Safety with respect to Cohesion?

Definition: Factor of Safety with respect to Cohesion is the ratio of material's shear strength to applied shear stress, ensuring stability against sliding.

Purpose: It helps geotechnical engineers assess slope stability and foundation safety by comparing critical depth to mobilized cohesion depth.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( F_c \) — Factor of Safety with respect to Cohesion
• \( h_{Critical} \) — Critical Depth for Factor of Safety (m)
• \( H \) — Depth at Mobilized Cohesion (m)

Explanation: The ratio of critical depth to mobilized cohesion depth gives the safety factor against slope failure.

3. Importance of Factor of Safety Calculation

Details: Proper safety factor calculation ensures slope stability, prevents landslides, and maintains structural integrity of foundations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the critical depth and mobilized cohesion depth in meters, plus an optional tolerance percentage (default ±5%). All depth values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a typical acceptable Factor of Safety?
A: For most engineering applications, a factor of safety of 1.5-2.0 is considered acceptable, depending on risk assessment.

Q2: How is critical depth determined?
A: Critical depth is typically determined through geotechnical analysis considering soil properties and loading conditions.

Q3: What does the tolerance percentage represent?
A: The tolerance shows the acceptable variation range (±%) around the calculated factor of safety.

Q4: When would the factor of safety be less than 1?
A: Values < 1 indicate unstable conditions where failure is likely to occur.

Q5: How does mobilized cohesion depth affect the calculation?
A: Deeper mobilized cohesion generally increases stability (higher safety factor), while shallower decreases it.

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