SAFETY ASSESSMENT FOR EMBANKMENT FOUNDATION BEHAVIOR BASED ON BACK ANALYSIS RESULTS

This paper deals with an analytical interpretation of field performances of saturated soil deposit by using the back analysis procedure. We consider the elasto-plastic ground behavior as the consequences of nonlinear elastic responses where non-homogeneous regions and anisotropy will be expanded. Herein, we propose the equivalent tangential stiffness over the whole foundation as the parameters to be identified, and the changing status of the whole foundation is assessed by the interpretation of newly pursued parameters. We find an example of saturated soil deposit with various permeabilities under continuous loading. We observe two-dimensional plane strain finite element analyses instead of ‘real’ soil behavior, and then a back analysis is carried out by use of ‘observed’ displacements. Numerical results are discussed where emphasis is placed upon the interpretation of ‘field measurements’, and we also provide a new procedure of construction control, i. e., control of loading during construction for embankment foundation.