Embankment Construction on Yielding Sea Bottom

Results are included from four construction sites, i.e., two loading piers, one runway extension into the sea, and one solar evaporation scheme. In these cases, soil rupture in the foundation was firstly predicted and then observed and recorded during construction. Subsurface conditions at each of the four sites are described. Settlement readings for periods of up to 7 years are included. The geometry of failed masses is presented in terms of contour lines and cross sections showing the shape of heaving on the two sides of the embankment. A field method of following the transition from foundation stability to foundation rupture and then from mild to intense base failure is explained. The application of this method to specific instances is described. An approximate stability equation is derived and its application to the four case histories is outlined.