Centrifuge modelling of embankments subject to seasonal moisture changes

摘要

Embankments experience seasonal, periodic infiltration/evapo-transpiration conditions. Thiscauses wetting-drying cycles which may lead to serviceability movement of an embankment both producingshrink-swell behaviour and generating gradual down-slope movements. In addition, slope failure may be triggeredafter a number of cycles due to cyclic softening of the soil. The response of these embankments is particularlyrelevant in light of global climate change which is likely to exacerbate the climate input conditions. This paperpresents a study of the above effects for a compacted clay embankment by centrifuge model testing. This paperdescribes the apparatus developed and presents results from one example embankment test. Results show thenature of the soil displacements which occur periodically during wetting and drying events and demonstrate theefficiency of the apparatus to investigate the long-term response of embankments.