Abstract: The experimental subgrade is used to model a high embankment in the Yunnan-Guizhou Railway, which has a bottom width of L=60 cm, top width of l=10 cm, and height of h=15 cm. The experiment models are used to study the effect of four ground stabilizing measures (called four groups) on responses of the high embankment under the action of a thrust fault ruptures. Group 1 is the case that no ground stabilizing measure is taken and is a basic test. The results from the other three groups are all compared with that from group 1. Group 2 is the case that a layer of geogrid is laid at the bottom of the embankment, Group 3 is that two layers of geogrids are laid at the middle and bottom of the embankment respectively, and Group 4 is that CFG pile is used to stabilize the ground and two layers of geogrids are laid at the bottom and middle of the embankment respectively. Several displacement gauges and dials are used to record embankment deformation. Deformation and failure modes by caused by different stabilization measures are analyzed. Results show that: (1) In the 4 models, embankment damage is mainly caused by the crack of 45° in embankment. (2) When fault displacement is equal to or less than 13.6% of the embankment height, the engineering measure with two layers of geogrids has the best efficiency for reducing damage; when the fault displacement is greater than 13.6% of the embankment height and less than or equal to 20.5% of the embankment height, the measure with both CFG piles and two layers of geogrids can achieve the best efficiency. (3) Due to part of energy absorbed by soil foundation, failure angle in the ground gradually reduces as engineering measure gradually strengthens, as a result embankment damage extent is reduced because the length affected increases. The conclusions in the paper have significance for engineering practice.

Key words: reverse fault, failure mode, high fill subgrade, reinforcement measures