Mechanism of soil slope reinforced using nailing during earthquake

Abstract

Centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the behavior of cohesive soil slopes during an earthquake, considering both the nailing-reinforced and unreinforced slopes. The displacement exhibited an evidently irreversible accumulation that depended on the shaking magnitude. Significant deformation localization occurred mainly in the upper parts of the unreinforced slope when shaking, leading to a final landslide. The nailing significantly changed displacement distribution of the slope and arrested a landslide that occurred in the unreinforced slope during the earthquake. The strain analysis was introduced to discuss the reinforcement mechanism using the measured displacement fields. The reinforcement mechanism can be described using a basic concept: shear effect, which refers to that the nailing decreases the shear strain in comparison with the unreinforced slope. The significant shear effect was induced in the nailing reinforcement zone; preventing the possible sliding. © 2009 Taylor & Francis Group.