Evaluating the safety of high arch dams with fractures based on numerical simulation and geomechanical model testing

It is important to estimate the probability of fracture extension and its impact on the safety of arch dams with fractures. Numerical simulation and geomechanical model test were combined to evaluate the overall stability and the extension probability of fractures. Numerical simulation forecasted the dam displacement and the operating behavior based on the parameters obtained from the back analysis. Geomechanical model test was based on small block masonry and the models with or without fractures were both tested. The results show that the deformation of dams is in line with general rules at a normal water load and the extension probability of the existing fractures is very small, which has no significant impact on the global stability of dams. Moreover, the failure process of arch dams with the existing fractures in dams at overload scenarios is similar to the one without the embedded fractures, i.e., the failure crack which is not caused by the existing fractures inside comes into being on the surface of dams itself.