Short term lateral deformations induced in an elastic medium through the application of rigid embankment loading

Abstract

Recently, numerous investigations have been conducted to predict the lateral displacements which develop in soft clay foundations as a result of embankment construction. These studies focus on the prediction of lateral deformation at the toe of the embankment, and were prompted by observations of the damaging effects on adjacent structures by these deformations. The mechanisms of lateral deformations are not yet clearly understood, however, predictions of behaviour seem possible due to the distribution of lateral deformations with depth remaining similar during the settlement process. The finite difference program FLAC was used within this study to model the behaviour of a homogeneous elastic medium subjected to different conditions of embankment loading. An empirical relation has been developed to describe the variation of lateral deformations with depth, at various distances from the embankment toe. This empirical correlation compared well to predictions from a previously validated numerical model of an instrumented trial embankment.