Stability study on reinforced embankment under action of rise and fall of water levels

The highway damage due to floods is becoming more frequent, and the rise and fall of water levels caused by the floods has irreversible damage to road embankments. Taking the reinforced embankment slope as the research object, considering the reinforcing effects of different geosynthetics, the model tests on the rise and fall of water levels are carried out to in vestigate, the hydraulic characteristics, settlement and damage modes of different types of embankments. The test results show that during the rise and fall of water levels, the reinforcement changes the pore water pressure and magnitude of change in soil pressure and the rate of response of volumetric water content to water infiltration in the soil near the reinforcement layer, and the reinforcing effects of different reinforcing materials have different impacts. Compared with that of the unreinforced embankment, the change amplitude of the pore water pressure in the geogrid-reinforced embankment increases with the process of rise and fall of water levels, and the response of the volumetric water content in the geotextile-reinforced embankment is the fastest. The change of them is beneficial to the stability of the embankment. The change in the geocomposite-reinforced embankment is favourable to the stability of the embankment, and the effect of geocomposite reinforcement are optimal. After the water level falls, traction slip occurs on the slope of the unreinforced embankment, which does not occur in the reinforced embankment, and the reinforcement effectively reduces the settlement of the embankment. It is of great significance to study the stability characteristics of the reinforced embankment under the rise and fall of water levels for the prevention and control of water damage.