Experimental study on application of foam fluids in restraining seepage failure of soils

Embankment project is an important part of the disaster prevention and reduction system of China. Seepage failure, such as piping is a serious challenge to the safety of the embankment project. Currently, the treatment of piping risk still relies on the traditional method and huge-crowd strategy. Foam fluids have great application potential for suppressing the occurrence and development of piping. In this study, a new technology is proposed for restraining seepage failure by the foam fluids based on their capability to increase flow resistance and adjust the seepage field of the heterogeneous embankment foundation. In order to investigate the feasibility of foam application in restraining the seepage failure of embankments and the related mechanisms, an experimental system is developed for studying foam-restraining of seepage failure. A series of experiments including the traditional piping experiments and foam-restraining experiments under various foam occurrence conditions are conducted. The results show that the foam can effectively restrain the seepage failure of embankments, and the effects are affected by the foam occurrence area. The mechanisms including reducing soil permeability, retraining soil particle migration and increasing flow resistance.