Stability evaluation of full-scale embankment constructed by volcanic soil in cold regions

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal failure mechanisms of volcanic slopes in cold regions and to propose a prediction method on the failures. In order to achieve the purposes, a full-scale embankment slope which was 5 m in height, 3 m in width and 4 m in length and the angle of 45 deg., was constructed in Sapporo city, Japan. A typical volcanic soil in the field was adopted as an engineering material. After the construction of the embankment, the changes in soil moisture, temperature, pore water pressure in the embankment were investigated until slope failure by using several monitoring devices such as soil moisture meters, etc. Simultaneously, a series of model tests was performed on small size slopes constructed by the same soil material as that in the field. As a result, a reasonable prediction method of slope failure was proposed based on change in water content, and its validity was confirmed in the behavior of the full-scale embankment.