Widening of embankments on soft clay : centrifuge research

It has been investigated by means of centrifuge research which widening method results in the smallest cracks in asphalt pavements. Two types of clay were used: Kaolin clay; Oostvaardersplassen clay. First the characteristics of the clays were determined and oedometer tests were performed to get information about the deformation parameters. Strength parameters were obtained by performance of in flight vane and triaxial tests. To determine what height an existing embankment can reach without causing instability, stability tests were carried out in the centrifuge. By using the clay properties these tests were further modelled by the finite element program PLAXIS and the slip circle program STABIL. Widening tests were performed with two staged construction methods: the horizontal and the gap method. The deformations in the clay and the existing embankment were detected throughout the tests and analyzed by image processing.