Abstract：The geosynthetic reinforcing techniques have been widely used nowadays in the design of embankments and foundations on soft clay to maintain stability during or immediately after the construction of the embankment. However，the behaviour of reinforcements on soft clay is far from clear. The objective is to investigate the behaviours of reinforced embankment on soft clay using the technique of centrifugal modelling and to provide a rigorous basis for optimum design of embankments. A series of centrifuge model tests for both unreinforced and reinforced foundations are conducted and behaviours of the subsoil are observed. Based on these tests，the distributions of the horizontal displacement and vertical displacement as well as the dissipation of the excess pore pressure in the clay foundation are obtained. In particular，the effectiveness of the base reinforcement is examined by comparing its behaviour with that of an unreinforced clay foundation. A new technique for measuring the tension induced in the reinforcement was developed and used in centrifuge tests. It is found that a geosynthetic reinforcement is effective in preventing the lateral displacement of the clay foundation，and therefore，may contribute towards the stability of the embankment. In general，the extension of the reinforcement and the settlement of the embankment are consistent，and in the present study，the mobilization of the tension reaches around 52% of the tensile strength.
