Slope Protection of High Embankments

Slope Protection of High Embankments

Author Name : Surender Kadyan, V.K. Ahuja

ABSTRACT  Highways, railways, dams, canals, stockpiles do have embankments as per geometric design and topographical requirement. Slopes of embankment need to be stable for the safety of the structure. In order to meet geometric design requirement considering, terrain condition and to minimize the cost of construction, roads and rails are built in cut and fill sections, resulting in natural or artificial embankment slopes. Stability of these embankment slopes always remains a worry to highway and geotechnical engineers. In mountainous terrain, safer operation of highways and railways, power generation and transmission facilities, and the safety of residential and commercial developments often require long term stable slopes and control of rock falls. Many transportation systems were constructed over a century ago in the case of railroads, and decades ago in the case of many highways. At that time, the blasting techniques that were often used in construction caused significant damage to the rock mass. A number of failure causing forces acting on embankment slopes include gravitational force, flowing water, pore water pressure, wind force and loads the structure is subjected to. Depending upon the height of embankment and other factors such as type of material used, financial status, availability of space etc. various slope protection techniques are used. These techniques include RCC retaining wall, RE walls, drainage chutes, use of geosynthetics, providing vegetative cover on the slopes, stone pitching etc.