Abstract
A full-scale embankment failure experiment was conducted in 2009 in Perniö, Finland. A small, extensively instrumented railway embankment on a soft clay foundation was brought to failure by loading over a period of 30 h. Instrumentation consisted of over 300 different measurement points, including 37 piezometers and nine automatically monitored inclinometer tubes. The relatively rapid loading simulated a heavy train coming to a standstill on the embankment. The primary purpose of the experiment was to gather field data of a failure caused by a rapidly applied load, with an emphasis on the pore pressure response in the clay foundation layer. The test was also used to assess the suitability of various instruments for real-time stability monitoring. The embankment failure was an asymmetric bearing capacity mechanism that is hypothesised to have been triggered by an undrained creep rupture.During the last 2 h of the experiment, pore pressure and displacements increased at an accelerating rate while the external load was kept constant. The time-dependency of the pore pressure and displacement responses was a key factor in the experiment. With regards to monitoring of similar in-service train
embankments, proper placement of instruments according to predicted failure mechanisms was found to be important.
embankments, proper placement of instruments according to predicted failure mechanisms was found to be important.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 961-974 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Geotechnique |
Volume | 65 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Publication forum classification
- Publication forum level 1
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Pernio failure experiment data
Länsivaara, T. T. (Owner) & Lehtonen, V. J. (Creator), CSC, 2015
http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:csc-kata20150507094517328502 and one more link, http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201611044688 (show fewer)
Dataset