Abstract: Based on the construction of an airport in high fill area in Southwest China, the settlement characteristics of the compacted fills is studied by the centrifugal model tests. The model test results indicate that the settlement of the high fill materials have a small settlement magnitude and fast rate. Approximately, 90% of the total settlement will occur during the construction and the post construction settlement consists of only 10% of the total settlement.

Key words: Centrifugal Model Test, High Embankment, Settlement