Centrifuge modelling of climatic effects on clay embankments

This paper presents an experimental methodology using a geotechnical centrifuge and an environmental chamber to explore long-term embankment performance in light of the more severe conditions expected due to global climate change. The environmental chamber applies water and air input to control inundation and evaporation conditions at the soil surface. Example results show that a well-compacted intermediate-plasticity model embankment performs well when subjected to 19 years of alternating wet and dry periods. Finally, the paper reports an experimental methodology that will allow further model tests to be conducted to examine how different climate scenarios, soil types and compaction levels may affect long-term embankment response.