Investigation on the Settlement of High Rockfill Embankment Using Centrifuge Tests

To study the deformation behavior of the high rockfill (HRF) embankment during construction and operation, based on more than a 50-m high rockfill embankment of the second-class road reconstruction project from Xunyang to Ankang of the national road 316 in Shaanxi, China, the centrifuge model test was performed to study the deformation laws of HRF embankment. The test results showed the following: (i) the HRF embankment was stable during construction and operation; (ii) during construction, the settlement occurred at the embankment top, and uplift occurred at the slope foot. Moreover, the deformation at the top was greater than that at the slope foot, and the deformations at both the top and the slope toe reached the maximum value at the end of construction; (iii) during operation, the settlement at the embankment top continued, and it changed rapidly at the start of operation. And then, the rate of the settlement slowed down and reached a steady state finally. The deformation of the slope foot was very small. This study can provide basis and reference for the design and construction of a similar project in mountain areas