Abstract:
Construction on soft clay deposits is assumed to be a significant concern in the
geotechnical engineering field. Soft clays are characterized by low bearing
capacity, high ductility and low permeability, which lead to certain constraints in
embankment design. Therefore, to ensure the safety of structures on soft grounds,
it is necessary to define the capacity that the foundation can bear before the
construction process. In addition, the behaviour of a structure has to be predicted
to avoid failures or other unfavourable circumstances that could take place in the
future. A number of prediction methods have been proposed, but the predictions
could suffer from a lack of accuracy, resulting in a lack of confidence in practice.
In this study, numerical simulation of embankments on soft soils using finite
element method (FEM) is performed, along with the evaluation of existing
methods for predicting the performance of embankments on soft clays and to
propose the most accurate stability analysis approach among reviewed methods.