Centrifuge model test study on pile reinforcement behavior of cohesive soil slopes under earthquake conditions

In this study, dynamic centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the dynamic response of cohesive soil slopes with the use of stabilizing piles during an earthquake. The behavior of the pile reinforcement was analyzed based on the obtained deformation over the entire slope through image-based measurement, and the behavior of the slope was compared to that of an unreinforced slope. The piles significantly increased the stability of the slope and reduced its deformation during an earthquake. The bending moment of the piles exhibited a nearly triangular distribution due to the earthquake. The acceleration response of the slope increased with increasing elevation, and the displacement accumulated apparently irreversibly over the course of the earthquake. The piles significantly affected the deformation of the slope in a certain area, the boundary of which was defined using a continuous surface. A strain analysis of the slope demonstrated that the piles had a significant effect on the reduction in the deformation of the slope in their vicinities, and this effect expanded upward along the slope and arrested the possible slip surface that would have occurred in an unreinforced slope. Several influencing factors were simulated in the tests, and observation of these factors demonstrated that the dynamic response of the pile-reinforced slope was affected by the pile spacing, pile location, slope gradient, and input earthquake to varying extent.