Experimental Testing of Ground Reinforced Embankments Under Low-Energy Impact of Rockfall

To evaluate the ultimate capacity of the ground reinforced embankments, most of the research have been focused on high levels of impact energy. However, many existing embankments have been impacted by several blocks without collapsing. The residual characteristics and efficiency of post-impact embankments under low-energy impact are researched in this paper. Model tests of two types of embankments are compared to investigate the deformation performance and damage evolution of embankments. A simplified analytical approach, based on the test results and the energy method, is proposed to assess the residual efficiency of the post-impact embankments. Furthermore, the adverse impact conditions are analyzed by numerical simulation. The results show that the damage evolution of the embankments goes through three phases, uphill face compression, downhill face displacement, and collapse. Compared with experimental data, the stability calculation method is proved to be feasible. It is also found that the impact location and inclination of the blocks affect the deformation and stability of the embankments significantly. These points should be beneficial to the design of ground reinforced embankments.