Theoretical and numerical perspectives and field observations for the design and performance evaluation of embankments constructed on soft marine clay

Abstract

In this chapter, a two-dimensional plane strain solution is adopted for the embankment analysis, which includes the effects of smear zone caused by mandrel driven vertical drains. The equivalent (transformed) permeability coefficients are incorporated in finite element codes, employing modified Cam-clay theory. Selected numerical studies have been carried out to study the effect of embankment slope, construction rate, and drain spacing on the failure of the soft clay foundation. Finally, the observed and predicted performances of well-instrumented full-scale trial embankment built on soft Malaysian marine clay have been discussed in detail. The predicted results agree with field measurements.