A Monitoring System to Study Seepage Through River Embankments.

The results of stability analyses of river embankments under unsteady flow conditions are uncertain for the limited knowledge of the initial conditions and the lack of a detailed geotechnical characterization of both the embankment and the foundation soil. This paper illustrates a monitoring system of a real scale embankment to realistically evaluate hydraulic and saturation conditions during different periods of the embankment life (dry season and flood events). The aims of the proposed monitoring system are calibration of stability analyses under unsteady flow conditions and evaluation of the effectiveness of a plastic diaphragm that have been realized using a quite innovative technique. This paper illustrates the monitoring system and the geotechnical characterization of the study embankment. Another companion paper (submitted to this Conference) shows the preliminary results of the monitoring system and comments on the low–pressure dry deep mixing technology that have been adopted to realize the plastic diaphragm.