Seismic performances of highfill airports during the recent strong earthquakes in China
Di Meng · IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science · 2019
Abstract High-fill slope with gap-graded fillback material and impervious clay sublayer is the typical structure of airfield in mountainous area. The seismic response of such slopes under intense earthquake loadings is one of the major concerns in engineering practice. This paper presented seismic performances of three typical high-filled airports during the recent strong earthquakes in China, and the damage/failure mechanisms are discussed. The main finding of this study is that, although no direct airport fill failures were found during earthquakes, cracks formed in airfield by strong shaking could provide passages for rainfall, where preference flows develop gradually and will significantly soften fillback material and impervious clay sublayer, inducing slope failure. Numerical and physical modelling and mitigation techniques are of high priority. After earthquake, timely site investigation, monitoring and slope repairment are greatly needed to prevent destructive deformation during the rainy period.