FS Calculator: A windows-based application for factor of safety assessment and sensitivity analyses by circular failure charts

Open-source windows-based software named FS Calculator 1.0 is developed. Circular failure is one of the common varieties of landslides involving geomaterials comprising soil and debris mass. The proposed application is based on Hoek and Bray’s Circular Failure Charts (CFCs) for calculating circular slope failures. It is developed by Python programming language with Tkinter library to create a simple graphical user interface. FS Calculator 1.0 provides an integrated environment for performing stability analyses via a deterministic approach and sensitivity analysis by implementing one-at-a-time (OAT) approach. In deterministic analysis, the Factor of Safety (FoS) is computed by using pertinent factors, including geomechanical parameters (cohesion, angle of friction, and density of geomaterials), groundwater conditions, and geometrical parameters (slope height and angle). Earlier, it was very difficult to use CFCs for sensitivity assessment of controlling factors and were applied for deterministic analysis only. The authors attempted to incorporate sensitivity analysis capability using CFCs in the present study. Single and multi-parameter sensitivity analyses functions of the software enable users to assess the relative control of geomechanical and geometrical parameters on FoS. This will enable users to assess the appropriate weightage for controlling parameters, which will be crucial during safer geotechnical designing of the slopes. FS Calculator 1.0 generates a spreadsheet of output with analysis data and graphs. For the FoS, the outcomes obtained by FS Calculator 1.0 are also validated with time-consuming and rigorous manual calculations. Working principle, technical aspects, description of the user interface, algorithm for FoS calculation, Python workflow, and application of FS Calculator 1.0 are presented herein.