Case Study: Unsaturated Embankment Failure on Soft Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
This paper describes the application of unsaturated soil mechanics to an interstate connecting-ramp embankment that failed during construction. Specifically, matric suction is incorporated into the calculation of the tension crack (TC) depth induced by desiccation and strain incompatibility and the contribution of matric suction to embankment shear strength. The results are compared with field observations to assess the viability of unsaturated soil mechanics in modeling compacted embankments in stability analyses. Results from this study suggest that using unsaturated shear strength parameters while introducing a TC in the compacted fill yields a reasonable inverse analysis of this interstate embankment. This may be preferred in slope stability analyses to the current practice of using an undrained shear strength (i.e., cohesion) for the unsaturated compacted fill and including a TC to generate a reasonable factor of safety.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The contents and views in this paper are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of any of the represented corporations, contractors, agencies, consultants, organizations, and/or contributors including ODOT and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The second author appreciates the financial support of the National Science Foundation (NSF Award CMMI-1562010). The contents and views in this paper are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 12 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 5, 2019
Accepted: Jun 18, 2020
Published online: Oct 14, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Mar 14, 2021
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