ABSTRACT
The soil removed is replaced by a rubber bag filled with zinc chloride solution1 mixed to the same unit weight as the clay. An embedded wall uses the passive resistance of the soil in front of the wall formation level to counter the overturning effect of the lateral stresses in the retained ground. The initial soil deformations were so large that a tension crack opened between the wall and the soil. A valve-controlled waste-pipe is used to drain the zinc chloride solution from the rubber bag, at an appropriate stage following reconsolidation of the clay sample in the centrifuge. The centrifuge tests on model diaphragm walls carried out by Bolton and Powrie demonstrated quite graphically the calamitous effect that groundwater can have on field scale structures. The chapter describes some examples of the ways in which geotechnical centrifuge models have been used to enhance understanding of the behaviour of earth retaining structures.
