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Title:

UNUSUAL CASE OF EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Accession Number:

00231014

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

AN UNUSUAL FAILURE WHICH OCCURRED IN A SHORT SECTION OF A WINTER-PLACED ROCK FILL EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTED OVER SWAMPY TERRAIN COMPOSED OF MUSKEG FOLLOWED BY SOFT TO FIRM SENSITIVE CLAY OVERLYING A HIGHLY IRREGULAR BEDROCK SURFACE WAS INVESTIGATED. THE EMBANKMENT WAS BUILT BY THE PARTIAL EXCAVATION AND DISPLACEMENT METHOD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, ABOUT THREE MONTHS AFTER CONSTRUCTION. THE STUDY INCLUDED A DETAILED SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION AND EXAMINATION OF CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION, SETTLEMENT DATA AND CONSTRUCTION RECORDS. IT ESTABLISHED THAT THE SECTION OF THE EMBANKMENT WHICH COLLAPSED WAS ORIGINALLY FLOATING IN THE CLAY AND SUPPORTED AT EITHER END ON BEDROCK. THE SPACING BETWEEN THE SUPPORTS ON BEDROCK WAS FOUND TO BE ONLY ABOUT 6 TIMES THE OVERALL DEPTH OF THE FILL . THE EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE ROCK FILL MUST HAVE BEEN FROZEN AS PLACED, SO THAT THE PART ABOVE SWAMP WATER LEVEL WOULD HAVE REMAINED FROZEN UNTIL THAWING IN THE SPRING. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE COLLAPSE OF THE ROADWAY AT FAILURE, AND THE RESULTING DOWNWARD DISPLACEMENT OF ABOUT 12 FEET WHICH OCCURRED, WAS DUE TO A RARE COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES. IT IS BELIEVED THAT FLAT HORIZONTAL ARCHING BETWEEN BEDROCK SUPPORTS HAD DEVELOPED IN THE SECTION OF FROZEN ROCK FILL AND THAT THAWING IN THE SPRING LED TO COLLAPSE OF THE ARCHING AND CONSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE ROADWAY. THIS EXPLANATION IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GEOMETRY AND DELAYED NATURE OF THE FAILURE AND OTHER EVIDENCE OBTAINED. A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF PUBLISHED PRECEDENT RELATING TO IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHENOMENON OF ARCHING IN GRANULAR MATERIALS IN OTHER CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKS IS GIVEN. METHODS OF DEALING WITH SOIL AND BEDROCK CONDITIONS WHICH MIGHT BE POTENTIALLY TROUBLESOME THROUGH ARCHING IN WINTER-PLACED ROCK FILLS CONSTRUCTED OVER SOFT GROUND ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. /AUTHOR/

Supplemental Notes:

Paper sponsored by Committee on Embankments and Earth Slopes and presented at the 46th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Monograph Accession #:

01410131

Language:

English

Authors:

Rutka, A
Matich, M A

Pagination:

p. 1-11

Publication Date:

1967

Serial:

Highway Research Record

Issue Number: 181
Publisher: Highway Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures (8) ; Photos (1) ; References (12)

Old TRIS Terms:

Subject Areas:

Geotechnology; Highways

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Aug 15 2004 2:35AM

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