en Soil Mechanics Classic Soil Mechanics Classic Research Paper Research Paper <p>Presented is a method of three-dimensional stability analysis of convex slopes in plan view based on the Lower-bound theorem of<br> the limit analysis approach. The method’s aim is to determine the factor of safety of such slopes using numerical linear finite<br> element and lower bound limit analysis method to produce some stability charts for three dimensional (3D) homogeneous convex<br> slopes. Although the conventional two and three dimension limit equilibrium method (LEM) is used more often in practice for<br> evaluating slope stability, the accuracy of the method is often questioned due to the underlying assumptions that it makes. The<br> rigorous limit analysis results in this paper together with results of other researchers were found to bracket the slope stability<br> number to within ±10% or better and therefore can be used to benchmark for solutions from other methods. It was found that using<br> a two dimensional (2D) analysis to analyze a 3D problem will leads to a significant difference in the factors of safety depending<br> on the slope geometries. Numerical 3D results of proposed algorithm are presented in the form of some dimensionless graphs which<br> can be a convenient tool to be used by practicing engineers to estimate the initial stability for excavated or man-made slopes</p> three-dimensional slope, slope stability, limit analysis, Lower-bound, limit equilibrium 112 123 http://ijce.iust.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-186-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 F. Askari Askari@iiees.ac.ir 180031947532846009674 180031947532846009674 Yes Assistant Professor, Iran International Earthquake Engineering Institute, Tehran, I. R. of Iran A. Totonchi Arash_Totonchi@yahoo.com 180031947532846009675 180031947532846009675 No Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, I. R. of Iran O. Farzaneh ofarzane@ut.ac.ir 180031947532846009676 180031947532846009676 No Assistant Professor, Dept. of civil Engineering, Tehran University, Tehran, I. R. of Iran