Abstract
Embankment erosion due to overflow is the number one cause of embankment failures. The purpose of this paper is to reveal erosion characteristics of compacted soils used for embankment materials. Samples of compacted silty sands containing 22% fines by weight were prepared. An experimental apparatus using an open channel has been built and applied to measure the erosion rate of the compacted soil. Water flows the channel and erodes the soil samples fixed at the bottom of the channel. The rates at which the samples erode were measured and the shear stresses imposed on the samples were calculated. The relationship between erosion rates and shear stresses are the primary results of the tests. The erosion process of the compaction layers and the dependency of erosion rates on the dry density have been investigated. It was found that the erosion rate increased linearly with the increase of shear stress and that the erosion rate decreased linearly with the increase of dry density. The obtained experimental results about the erosion rate and the critical shear stress were modeled.
