Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

The title of this test was Cracked Embankment Erosion Test (CEET) 6. This test took place on August 18, 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 113 pounds per cubic feet, and a moisture content of 13.5%, 3.5% below optimum. The embankment was constructed using a pneumatic tamper to 105% compaction at optimum with approximately 1-inch lifts over a three-week period. The average void ratio was 0.51 and the average degree of saturation was 70.0. 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. The surface was not scarified prior to testing. The test crack was a 3/8-inch continuous crack both vertically and horizontally. Photogrammetry #2 revealed 1,740 cubic inches removed. In the final image, the embankment collapsed, and no photogrammetry was conducted. Speed tests were conducted throughout the experiment. This video file contains an audio description.