Full-scale creep test and back-analysis of the long-term settlement of heavy-loaded shallow foundations on a high rockfill embankment

Abstract

The long-term settlement of heavy-loaded shallow foundations on a high rockfill embankment was studied using a full-scale field creep test, in which four concrete platforms were constructed and loaded on the top of a 24-m-high rockfill embankment. The test programme was introduced, and the long-term deformation of the high rockfill embankment was analyzed based on the monitoring data. Then three-dimensional numerical simulation was performed, using a rheological model for the rockfill. When the model parameters were derived from the laboratory creep tests, the numerical simulation seriously underestimated the long-term settlement compared with field measurements. The model parameters were further back-determined using a two-stage back-analysis method. Reasonable agreement was found between the predicted results and the field measurements, not only for the surface creep settlement but also for the sub-surface creep settlement.