Granular columns for stabilizing slopes

A series of small-scale tests was undertaken to verify if granular anchors could be used as a slope stabilisation technique. The nature of the material used and the resulting loading configuration are described here. The work confirms that the inclusion of anchors within a slope mass, irrespective of their number or orientation, significantly enhances the capacity and ductility of the failure mode. The small-scale nature of this research did influence the observed capacities, but the overarching hypothesis was confirmed. A simple analysis method is proposed that allows designers to accurately remediate natural or man-made slopes using existing analytical methods for slope stability.