ABSTRACT
Permanent slope movements are caused because of the irreversibility of the strains in the embankment during the cycles of drying and wetting. The gradual accumulation of plastic strains either cause crest movements exceeding serviceability limits or bring the slope into its ultimate state of equilibrium. Numerical models (Kovacevic et al., 2001) and centrifuge tests (Take, 2002) proved the theory of accumulation of small plastic strains due to the seasonal movements. Take (2002) used saturated over-consolidated kaolin as the slope material. This soil state may not truly replicate the response of variably compacted infrastructure embankments, but showed clearly one mechanism that could occur. The over-consolidated kaolin model embankment had relatively high permeability and the relatively small drop in the critical state shear strength to residual were considered to produce conservative results. In order to obtain more realistic data about real earthworks such as Victorian endtipped railway embankments, compacted clay models should be investigated.
