ROTATIONAL STABILITY OF UNREINFORCED AND REINFORCED EMBANKMENTS ON SOFT SOILS

Solutions for the rotational stability analysis of unreinforced and re inforced embankments on soft soils have been developed. The general ca se of an embankment having a partial-height dry tension crack, a berm, and an excavation outside the berm has been considered. A limit equil ibrium method assuming a circular slip surface and total stress analys is have been used. In reinforced embankments, three different directio ns of reinforcement force have also been considered. The solutions are presented in the form of simple equations. Using these equations, the location of the critical slip circle, and the minimum factor of safet y can be calculated directly for unreinforced embankments, for a given limiting tangent. Similarly, for reinforced embankments, the equation s can be used to calculate the location of the critical slip circle an d the maximum required reinforcement force, for a given limiting tange nt. The conditions that are to be satisfied to get valid solutions are described. The use of the solutions is explained with illustrative ex amples.