ABSTRACT
Small-scale physical modeling of engineered earth structures has been used in the past to provide insight into the behavior of reinforced soil structures. However, one limitation of scaled physical models under normal gravity conditions is that stress levels in the models are much smaller than those in full-scale structures, thus leading to different soil properties and loading conditions. To reproduce actual stress fields, a full-scale prototype test is most desirable. Under these situations, a centrifuge is a viable tool for geotechnical modeling in which prototype structures can be studied as scaled-down models while maintaining prototype stress levels. The use of the centrifuge modeling technique for testing models of artificial and natural geotechnical structures has been recognized as an effective way of predicting their performance at prototype scale. Several investigators have modeled different techniques to stabilize existing/man-made slopes using a centrifuge modeling technique, like: i) drains (Resnick & Znidarcic 1990), ii) nailing (Davies & Jones 1998; Zhang et al. 2001 and Deepa & Viswanadham 2009), iii) vertical piles (Takemura et al. 1994; Liang 2002), and geotextiles (Hiro-oka et al. 2001). Resnick & Znidarcic (1990) have carried out centrifuge model tests for evaluating the influence of horizontal drains in stabilizing a slope made with a silty soil at 100 g. Failure was induced by increasing the water level in a reservoir
1 INTRODUCTION
All soil or rock slopes have a tendency to move in a downward direction to obtain a more stable configuration or minimum potential energy condition. This tendency of failure is mainly accelerated by the gravity force but other driving forces also exist such as water flow, tectonic stresses, seismic activity, etc. Those driving forces are resisted by the shear strength of the soil. When this resistance is less than the driving force, slope failure occurs. Slopes can be artificial, such as cuttings and embankments for highways and rail roads, earth dams, temporary excavations, waste heaps, ash pond dams, landscaping operations for development of sites. Slopes may also be natural, such as hill sides and valleys, coastal and river cliffs. Whether it be in artificial or natural slopes, the inherent tendency to assume a more stable configuration exists.
