Deformation and Failure Characteristics of Embankment Subjected to Earthquake and Rainfall
In order to investigate the stability as well as deformation and failure characteristics of embankment under the combined effect of earthquake and rainfall,this study carried out centrifuge model tests and finite element numerical simulations,where the deformation and failure of embankment subjected to different conditions such as rainfall,post-earthquake rainfall,and post-earthquake rainfall considering the influence of initial rainfall were analyzed.Based on that,the effect of earthquake on the deformation of embankment was examined,after which the development of pore water pressure,evolution of deformation,and characteristics of failure of embankment during post-earthquake rainfall were studied.Results show that earthquake causes the discontinuity in soil deformation and occurrence of surface tension cracks of the embankment.The soil deformation on the sliding surface is most significant and concentrates in the lower part,and decreases gradually with the increase of soil height.Compared with the homogeneous embankment,the pore water pressures of the embankment with earthquake-induced cracks rise more rapidly to the higher level under rainfall after earthquake,and the soil deformation is greatly affected by the cracks,which mainly develops along the cracks near the embankment shoulder,while the deformation of the homogeneous embankment extends to the far position away from the embankment shoulder.The soil saturation of embankment increases and the effective stress decreases as a result of the rainfall-induced wetting effect in the initial stage,thus the deformation of the embankment becomes obvious under earthquake,causing the instability of embankment to be earlier and the deformation and failure more rapid during the post-earthquake rainfall.
subgrade engineeringembankmentcentrifuge model testnumerical simulation anal-ysisdeformation and failureearthquakerainfall