Stress and deformation due to embankment widening with different treatment techniques

A two-dimensional (2-D) finite element (FE) model was developed to analyze the deformation and stress of embankment on soft ground due to widening with different treatment techniques. It is found that the embankment widening induces transverse gradient change due to differential settlements and horizontal outward movements at the shoulder of the existing embankment. Embankment widening also increases the shear stress along the slope of the existing embankment, especially at the foot of slope. The failure potential due to embankment widening may increase with the increase of widening width when the widening width is smaller than 8.5 m, but may decrease with the increase of widening width as the widening width is greater than 8.5 m. The effectiveness of four ground and embankment treatment techniques, including geosynthetic reinforcement, light-weight embankment, deep mixed columns, and separating wall were compared. The results indicate that these treatments reduce the differential settlements and improve the stability. The light-weight embankment has the most effectiveness among four treatments. By using the fly-ash backfill material in widening, the transverse gradient change decreases from 0.5%-1.3% to 0.26%-0.8% and the maximum horizontal displacement decreases from 2.76 cm to 1.44 cm.