Dynamic centrifuge modeling test of cohesive soil slopes reinforced with soil nailing

Abstract

In order to prevent earthquake-induced hazards, many countermeasures are developed to improve the stability of slopes, among which the soil nailing reinforcement is widely used. The behaviors of the cohesive soil slopes reinforced with soil nailing during earthquake are investigated using centrifuge modeling tests; and the unreinforced slope is also investigated for comparison. The responses of the slope reinforced with soil nailing are measured during the test, including the time-history curves of displacements and accelerations of the slope. On the basis of the responses of the slope reinforced with soil nailing and the unreinforced slope by the comparison, the deformation rules and reinforcement mechanisms are discussed. The test results show that the nailing arrests a landslide that occurs in the unreinforced slope during earthquake. The displacement of the slope exhibits an evidently irreversible deformation accumulation that is dependent on the magnitude of seismic input amplitudes. The soil nailing reinforcement mechanism is analyzed based on the comparison of displacement distribution of the lateral sides of both slopes with introducing strain analysis of a soil element within the slope. It can be concluded that the soil nailing can significantly change the displacement distribution and reduce the shear deformation of the slope. Thus, the possible sliding can be prevented in the reinforced slope during the earthquake and the slope stability can be increased significantly.