Seismic behavior of model embankment affected by seepage water and frozen surface

Abstract

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake occurred on March 11. When the earthquake occurred, there were a number of frozen subsurface zones in cold districts, such as Hokkaido. However, any experimentally-verified case of deformation and collapse modes of embankment was not available in respect to the seismic performance of a frozen embankment. This study examined the earthquake resistance of embankment in cold districts by providing shake to a model embankment on which the surface layer had been frozen after adding seepage water. Additionally, a similar experiment was conducted for a model embankment on which the surface had not been frozen.