Centrifuge Model Tests on Geotextile-Reinforced Slope in Situation of Excavation

Excavations on steep slopes are common problems in practice; little work has been done on the geotextile reinforcement effect in such a situation. Two centrifuge model tests were conducted to simulate the excavation of cohesive slopes with and without reinforcement. The tests results showed that the geotextile greatly enhanced the slope stability and the effects of reinforcement mainly emerge in two aspects as follows: (1) to diminish the deformation and to unify deformation distribution; (2) the reinforcement effect was achieved mainly through friction forces.