Centrifuge modelling of an embankment on soft clay reinforced with a geogrid

The behaviour of reinforced embankments on soft clay has been explored using the technique of centrifuge modelling. Controlled in-flight construction of the embankment was carried out in a geotechnical centrifuge over a soft clay layer reinforced with scaled-down and instrumented geogrid reinforcement and the behaviour of the subsoil and the response of the geogrid were observed. These observations are compared with those from another centrifuge test in which a scaled-clown woven geotextile was used instead of the geogrid. A new technique for measuring the tension induced in the reinforcement was developed and used in the centrifuge tests. It was found that a geogrid reinforcement that is placed directly on top of the clay layer may not contribute significantly towards the stability of the embankment because of poor adhesion at the clay-reinforcement interface. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd