Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

The title of this test was Cracked Embankment Erosion Test (CEET) 5. This test took place on July 19, 2016. The material used was Bonny Silt and had a Plasticity Index (PI) of 6, classified as a silty clay (CL-ML), had 89% passing the No. 200 sieve, the maximum unit weight was 105.2 pounds per cubic feet, and a moisture content of 17%, at optimum. The embankment was constructed using a pneumatic tamper to 101% compaction at optimum with approximately 1-inch lifts over a three-week period. The average void ratio was 0.57 and the average degree of saturation was 80.6. The embankment was 10 feet long (upstream to downstream), 1.5 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. The embankment was built using a stair step construction. The steps were removed prior to the test. White stains appear to be mold or efflorescence, and the actual cause of this is unknown. The surface was not scarified prior to testing. The test crack was a 3/8-inch continuous crack both vertically and horizontally. Erosion is first noticed on the upstream face. The reservoir surface was lowered for the last time 4 hours and 30 minutes after water first entered the crack and the test was completed. Speed tests were conducted throughout the experiment. This video file contains an audio description.