BISHOP’S SIMPLIFIED METHOD (Circular Slip Surface)

Bishop (1955) devised a scheme that included inter slice normal forces, but ignored the inter slice
shear forces. Again, Bishop’s Simplified method satisfies only moment equilibrium. Of interest and
significance with this method is the fact that by including the normal inter slice forces, the factor of
safety equation became nonlinear and an iterative procedure was required to calculate the factor of
safety. All methods of limit equilibrium assume that the soil body above the slip surface is subdivided
into blocks (dividing planes between blocks are always vertical). Forces acting on individual blocks
are displayed in figure.