FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF PROGRESSIVE FAILURE OF CARSINGTON EMBANKMENT

The Carsington embankment slipped in 1984 just before it reached full height. The slide was 30 m deep and 500 m long, and instrumentation had been installed and read up to the moment of collapse. The strengths of the soils involved were carefully esbablished, as was the exact geometry of the slip. Limit equilibrium analysis showed that, at collapse, the average shear stress mobilized was less than peak strength, with a safety factor based on peak strengvth of 1.2. Since the soils involved were brittle, progressive failure was a probable cause of the descrepancy. Finite element analyses were performed in which strain-softening soil properties were assumed. Some of these analyses are reported here. The pre-failure displacements, the collapse height and collapse mechanism were recovered by the analysis, and the role of progressive failure was confirmed. The sensitivity of the results obtained to the assumptions made was examined by parametric studies. It was quite low, indicating that finite element analysis can make predictions of the stability of strain-softening soils of an accuracy adequate for engineering purposes.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00168505
• Corporate Authors:

  Thomas Telford Limited

  London,   United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Potts, D M
  • Dounias, G T
  • VAUGHAN, P R
• Publication Date: 1990-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 79-101
• Serial:
  • GEOTECHNIQUE
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited
  • ISSN: 0016-8505

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Embankments; Failure; Failure analysis; Finite element method; Instrumentation; Landslides; Safety factors; Shear stress; Softening point; Stability (Mechanics); Strain (Mechanics)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Strain softening
• Old TRIS Terms: Embankment stability; Progressive failure; Slides, earth
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00494141
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1990 12:00AM