Abstract:
In order to reduce the destruction of natural environment induced by the utilization of large quantity of mountain stones in development and construction of ports, the feasibility of constructing embankments by using the dredged soil from waterways is discussed in this study. The field tests on the filling bags with dredged soil are performed by installing prototype observation instruments. The test results show that the excess pore water pressure in the filling bags is small, the dissipating speed is fast, and taking the dredged soil as filling materials can fully satisfy the requirements of constructing embankments. During the construction of embankments with the filling bags, the largest measured ground settlement is 249 mm, and the rate of the horizontal displacement is stably controlled within the standard range, indicating that the ground is safe. The main compression process of the filling bags is completed within 3 to 6 days, and the mean compressibility ratio is about 15.7%. The measured forces acting on the filling bags using the distributed fiber measurements are smaller than the design values, and no damage caused by insufficient strength of materials for the filling bags is found. The results of geological radar detection show that the detected thickness of the filling bags agrees with the measured one. The filling situation of the bags is satisfactory, and the dividing line of the neighboring bags is clear too. The measuring precision meets the requirements of engineering detection so as to provide powerful technical supports for a rapid detection of quality of embankments constructed with the filling bags. After completion of the trial embankment, the embankment structure is stable and reliable. For more than two years’normal operation, the quality of the embankment is fairly good. The practical works indicate that it is successful to construct the embankment by using the filling bags of dredged soil. The effective use of the dredged soil from the waterways is in accordance with the development requirements of the cyclic economy and worthy to be further popularized.