Repair of damaged embankments often involves two stages of reconstruction: preliminary repair using large sandbags followed by permanent repair. This approach is aimed at prompt re-establishment of rail operations, by utilising large sandbags for which soil gathered at the site can be used, and offers excellent workability characteristics. However, completion of the work is time-consuming and costly because permanent repair involves removing the previously placed large temporary sandbags.
Accordingly, RTRI developed a new reconstruction method which would reinforce and repair embankments from the outset. This approach is intended to improve the stability and reinforce the whole embankment by utilising the large sandbags already used in preliminary repairs skewered with rods for resistance (Fig. 1). The advantage of the proposed method is that it halves the work period compared with existing repair techniques and contributes to permanent reinforcement after preliminary work given that subsequent construction work is done as a continuation of preliminary work while maintaining rail operations. A shaking experiment using a 1/10 model of a real object demonstrated that the method can:
Drain holes are also arranged in the same way as with ordinary reinforced earth-retaining walls to cope with rainfall.