The field performance of a full-scale test section of a geotextile-reinforced embankment founded on a soil deposit of mostly soft clays is discussed. The test section was constructed in 1986 under thesupervision of the u.S. Army corps of engineers as an enlargement prototype of an existing hurricane protection levee. The section was built to test the performance of the proposed design prior to commencing work on the entire 13-mi (20.8-Km) span. The soil investigationconducted by the corps included undisturbed and disturbed borings, soil sampling, and laboratory testing. The test section was fully instrumented with inclinometers, settlement plates, and piezometers. Displacement transducers were used to measure the deformations in thefabric. Field measurements consisted of horizontal movements, vertical settlements, pore pressures, and strains in the fabric. Measurements were taken during construction and continued for 2 years. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1277, Modern geotechnical methods: instrumentation and vibratory hammers 1990.
Abstract