An evaluation method of elevated water levels in road embankments due to precipitation

Abstract

Estimation of water level for the persistent situation or prior to earthquake is crucial for evaluation of seismic performance of road embankments. In this paper, methods of estimating rise velocity and position of water level are proposed based on numerical modeling studies. Validations of these estimation methods are conducted by water level observation data of highway embankments. These validations reveal that rise of the water level in an embankment is expected when the permeability of the embankment is small and rainfall duration is long. On the other hand, short but strong rainfall is required for the water level rise when the permeability of the embankment is large. These suggest that influential rainfall conditions are different depending on the permeability of the embankment. This study also reveals that if the permeability of an embankment is sufficiently large, marked rise of the water level hardly occurs under the typical rainfall condition in Japan.