Seepage simulation of high concrete-faced rockfill dams based on generalized equivalent continuum model

This research focused on the three-dimensional(3 D) seepage field simulation of a high concrete-faced rockfill dam(CFRD) under complex hydraulic conditions. A generalized equivalent continuum model of fractured rock mass was used for equivalent continuous seepage field analysis based on the improved node virtual flow method. Using a high CFRD as an example, the generalized equivalent continuum range was determined, and a finite element model was established based on the terrain and geological conditions, as well as structural face characteristics of the dam area. The equivalent seepage coefficients of different material zones or positions in the dam foundation were calculated with the Snow model or inverse analysis. Then, the 3 D seepage field in the dam area was calculated under the normal water storage conditions, and the corresponding water head distribution, seepage flow, seepage gradient, and seepage characteristics in the dam area were analyzed. The results show that the generalized equivalent continuum model can effectively simulate overall seepage patterns of the CFRD under complex hydraulic conditions and provide a reference for seepage analysis of similar CFRDs.

A simplified physically-based breach model for a high concrete-faced rockfill dam:A case study

A simplified physically-based model was developed to simulate the breaching process of the Gouhou concrete-faced rockfill dam （CFRD）, which is the only breach case of a high CFRD in the world. Considering the dam height, a hydraulic method was chosen to simulate the initial scour position on the downstream slope, with the steepening of the downstream slope taken into account; a headcut erosion formula was adopted to simulate the backward erosion as well. The moment equilibrium method was utilized to calculate the ultimate length of a concrete slab under its self-weight and water loads. The calculated results of the Gouhou CFRD breach case show that the proposed model provides reasonable peak breach flow, final breach width, and failure time, with relative errors less than 15% as compared with the measured data. Sensitivity studies show that the outputs of the proposed model are more or less sensitive to different parameters. Three typical parametric models were compared with the proposed model, and the comparison demonstrates that the proposed physically-based breach model performs better and provides more detailed results than the parametric models.

Reservoir water effects on earthquake performance evaluation of Torul Concrete-Faced Rockfill Dam

This study presents earthquake performance analysis of the Torul Concrete-Faced Rockfill （CFR） Dam with two-dimensional dam-soil and dam-soil-reservoir finite element models. The Lagrangian approach was used with fluid elements to model impounded water. The interface elements were used to simulate the slippage between the concrete face slab and the rockfill. The horizontal component of the 1992 Erzincan earthquake, with a peak ground acceleration of 0.515g, was considered in time-history analysis. The Drucker-Prager model was preferred in nonlinear analysis of the concrete slab, rockfill and foundation soil. The maximum principal stresses and the maximum displacements in two opposite directions were compared by the height of the concrete slab according to linear time-history analysis to reveal the effect of reservoir water. The changes of critical displacements and principal stresses with time are also shown in this paper. According to linear and nonlinear time-history analysis, the effect of the reservoir water on the earthquake performance of the Torul CFR Dam was investigated and the possible damage situation was examined. The results show that the hydrodynamic pressure of reservoir water leads to an increase in the maximum displacements and principal stresses of the dam and reduces the earthquake performance of the dam. Although the linear time-history analysis demonstrates that the earthquake causes a momentous damage to the concrete slab of the Torul CFR Dam, the nonlinear time-history analysis shows that no evident damage occurs in either reservoir case.

Numerical simulation of seismic damage and cracking of concrete slabs of high concrete face rockfill dams

Based on the damage constitutive model for concrete, the Weibull distribution function was used to characterize the random distribution of the mechanical properties of materials by finely subdividing concrete slab elements, and a concrete random mesoscopic damage model was established. The seismic response of a 100-m high concrete face rockfill dam(CFRD), subjected to ground motion with different intensities, was simulated with the three-dimensional finite element method(FEM), with emphasis on exploration of damage and the cracking process of concrete slabs during earthquakes as well as analysis of dynamic damage and cracking characteristics during strong earthquakes. The calculated results show that the number of damaged and cracking elements on concrete slabs grows with the duration of earthquakes. With increasing earthquake intensity, the damaged zone and cracking zone on concrete slabs grow wider. During a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the stress level of concrete slabs is low for the CFRD, and there is almost no damage or slight damage to the slabs. While during a 9.0-magnitude strong earthquake, the percentages of damaged elements and macrocracking elements continuously ascend with the duration of the earthquake, peaking at approximately 26% and 5% at the end of the earthquake, respectively. The concrete random mesoscopic damage model can depict the entire process of sprouting, growing, connecting, and expanding of cracks on a concrete slab during earthquakes.

Seismic responses of high concrete face rockfill dams:A case study

Seismic responses of the Zipingpu concrete face rockfill dam were analyzed using the finite element method. The dynamic behavior of rockfill materials was modeled with a viscoelastic model and an empirical permanent strain model. The relevant parameters were obtained either by back analysis using the field observations or by reference to parameters of similar rockfill materials. The acceleration responses of the dam,the distribution of earthquake-induced settlement, and the gap propagation under the concrete slabs caused by the settlement of the dam were analyzed and compared with site investigations or relevant studies. The mechanism of failure of horizontal construction joints was also analyzed based on numerical results and site observations. Numerical results show that the input accelerations were considerably amplified near the top of the dam, and the strong shaking resulted in considerable settlement of the rockfill materials, with a maximum value exceeding 90 cm at the crest.As a result of the settlement of rockfill materials, the third-stage concrete slabs were separated from the cushion layer. The rotation of the cantilever slabs about the contacting regions, under the combined action of gravity and seismic inertial forces, led to the failure of the construction joints and tensile cracks appeared above the construction joints. The effectiveness and limitations of the so-called equivalent linear method are also discussed.

Dynamic response of concrete face rockfill dam affected by polarity reversal of near-fault earthquake

In China,an increasing number of high concrete face rockfill dams(CFRDs)are located in high intensity earthquake zones,some of which are close to the seismic fault line.Recordings suggest that near-fault ground motions are characterized by large one-sided velocity pulses.The conventional dynamic analysis of dams,however,neglects the features of strong ground movements.In this study,under different ground motion levels some numerical dynamic studies considering the one-sided broadband pulses of near-fault earthquakes are presented for CFRDs based on a generalized plasticity model for rockfill materials.The results indicate that the displacements of dam crest corresponding to positive and reverse input of near-fault ground motion make a significant difference,while the displacements of the dam crest under artificial seismic waves are similar.Furthermore,using the horizontal and vertical components as simultaneous excitations near the faults,the displacements of the dam crest before and after reversing the motion produce a larger difference than that using a single component.More importantly,the difference of horizontal displacements of the dam crest caused by polarity reversal of near-fault ground motions increases with the increase of earthquake intensity.Due to the randomness and uncertainties of earthquakes,using a stochastic near-field motion input as excitation without considering the polarity(i.e.,positive vs reversed waveform),does not necessarily obtain a conservative result.

Fuzzy Earthwork Dynamic Allocation and Optimization for Construction of High Concrete Face Rockfill Dam

Due to the complexity of earthwork allocation system for the construction of high concrete face rockfill dam,traditional allocation and planning are not able to function properly in the construction process with strong randomness.In this paper,the working mechanism of earthwork dynamic allocation system is analyzed comprehensively and a solution to fuzzy earthwork dynamic allocation is proposed on the basis of uncertain factors in the earthwork allocation of a hydropower project.Under the premise of actual situation and the experience of the construction site,an all-coefficient-fuzzy linear programming mathematical model with fuzzy parameters and constraints for earthwork allocation is established according to the structure unit weighted ranking criteria.In this way,the deficiency of certain allocation model can be overcome.The application results indicate that the proposed method is more rational compared with traditional earthwork allocation.

Prediction of Concrete Faced Rock Fill Dams Settlements Using Genetic Programming Algorithm

In the present study a Genetic Programing model (GP) proposed for the prediction of relative crest settlement of concrete faced rock fill dams. To this end information of 30 large dams constructed in seven countries across the world is gathered with their reported settlements. The results showed that the GP model is able to estimate the dam settlement properly based on four properties, void ratio of dam’s body (e), height (H), vertical deformation modulus (Ev) and shape factor (Sc) of the dam. For verification of the model applicability, obtained results compared with other research methods such as Clements’s formula and the finite element model. The comparison showed that in all cases the GP model led to be more accurate than those of performed in literature. Also a proper compatibility between the GP model and the finite element model was perceived.

Stress-strain analysis of Aikou rockfill dam with asphalt-concrete core

Aikou rockfill dam with asphalt-concrete core is situated in a karst area in Chongqing City, China. In order to study the operative conditions of the rockfill dam, especially those of the asphalt-concrete core, the Duncan model is adopted to compute the stress and strain of both the rockfill dam and the asphalt-concrete core after karst grouting and other treatments. The results indicate that the complicated stress and deformation of both the dam body and the core are within reasonable ranges. It is shown that structure design and foundation treatment of the dam are feasible and can be used as a reference for other similar projects.

GPS Real Time Supervisory System and Application in the Construction of Face Rockfill Dam

According to the quality control needs of filling construction of the face rockfill dam, by means of the global satellite positioning technology, the wireless data communication technology, the computer technology and the data processing and analysis technology, and integrating with the roller compaction machine, the GPS real time supervisory system is developed in this paper. It can be used to real timely supervise the construction quality of the roller compaction for filling engineering. The composition and applied characteristics of GPS system, and the key technique problem and solution of the design are discussed. The height accuracy of GPS system is analyzed and the preliminary application is introduced.

Refined mathematical model for the breaching of concrete-face sand-gravel dams due to overtopping failure

Overtopping is one of the main reasons for the breaching of concrete-face sand-gravel dams(CFSGDs).In this study,a refined mathematical model was established based on the characteristics of the overtopping breaching of CFSGDs.The model characteristics were as follows:(1)Based on the Renormailzation Group(RNG)k-εturbulence theory and volume of fluid(VOF)method,the turbulent characteristics of the dam-break flow were simulated,and the erosion surface of the water and soil was tracked;(2)In consideration of the influence of the change in the sediment content on the dam-break flow,the dam material transport equation,which could reflect the characteristics of particle settlement and entrainment motion,was used to simulate the erosion process of the sand gravels;(3)Based on the bending moment balance method,a failure equation of the concrete face slab under dead weight and water load was established.The proposed model was verified through a case study on the failure of the Gouhou CFSGD.The results showed that the proposed model could well simulate the erosion mode of the special vortex flow of the CFSGD scouring the support body of the concrete face slab inward and reflect the mutual coupling relationship between the dam-break flow,sand gravels,and concrete face slabs.Compared with the measured values,the relative errors of the peak discharge,final breach average width,dam breaching duration,and maximum failure length of the face slab calculated using the proposed model were all less than 12%,thus verifying the rationality of the model.The proposed model was demonstrated to perform better and provide more detailed results than three selected parametric models and three simplified mathematical models.The study results can aid in establishing the risk level and devising early warning strategies for CFSGDs.

The Deformation and Stress Analysis of Na Ba Reservoir Concrete Face Rock-Fill Dam

Based on the APDL （ANSYS Parametric Design Language） and combined with the actual project related to parameters of filling material, imported Duncan-Chang constitutive model which has been widely applied in soil mass and rock-fill in the ANSYS software. With the three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis by the mid-point incremental method, what have been computed are the deformation and stress analysis ofNa Ba reservoir CFRD （Concrete Face Rock-fill Dam） in filling period. The calculation results provide practical reference for the dam during construction safety filling stress and deformation analysis and real-time monitoring.

Predicting crest settlement in concrete face rockfill dams using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and gene expression programming intelligent methods

This paper deals with the estimation of crest settlement in a concrete face rockfill dam （CFRD）, utilizing intelligent methods. Following completion of dam construction, considerable movements of the crest and the body of the dam can develop during the first impoundment of the reservoir. Although there is vast experience worldwide in CFRD design and construction, few accurate experimental relationships are available to predict the settlement in CFRD. The goal is to advance the development of intelligent methods to estimate the subsidence of dams at the design stage. Due to dam zonifieation and uncertainties in material properties, these methods appear to be the appropriate choice. In this study, the crest settlement behavior of CFRDs is analyzed based on compiled data of 24 CFRDs constructed during recent years around the world, along with the utilization of gene ex- pression programming （GEP） and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system （ANFIS） methods. In addition, dam height （H）, shape factor （St）, and time （t, time after first operation） are also assessed, being considered major factors in predicting the settlement behavior. From the relationships proposed, the values ofR2 for both equations of GEP （with and without constant） were 0.9603 and 0.9734, and for the three approaches of ANFIS （grid partitioning （GP）, subtractive clustering method （SCM）, and fuzzy c-means clustering （FCM）） were 0.9693, 0.8657, and 0.8848, respectively. The obtained results indicate that the overall behavior evaluated by this approach is consistent with the measured data of other CFRDs.

Hydrodynamic pressure on concrete face rockfill dams subjected to earthquakes

The hydrodynamic pressure is an important load on concrete face rockfill dams (CFRDs) subjected to earthquakes,the influence of which,however,is not clear as compared with that in concrete dams.In this paper,the coupling effect between the CFRDs and the reservoir water is studied based on two-dimensional finite element simulations by using a verified procedure.It is found that neglecting the solid-fluid coupling effect not only results in an overestimation of the acceleration response within the rockfill materials but also makes an overestimation of the dynamical stresses in the concrete slabs.For a reliable seismic response analysis of the CFRDs,therefore,the hydrodynamic pressure should be taken into account,particularly when the dam is subjected to a simultaneous excitation in both horizontal and vertical directions.Numerical results show,however,that the compressibility of the water can be safely neglected in the seismic response analyses of the CFRDs even when the dam is as high as 300 m,except when the excitation is quite abundant in high frequency contents.

Parameter sensitivity and inversion analysis of a concrete faced rock-fill dam based on HS-BPNN algorithm

Considering the complex nonlinear relationship between the material parameters of a concrete faced rock-fill dam(CFRD) and its displacements, the harmony search(HS) algorithm is used to optimize the back propagation neural network(BPNN), and the HS-BPNN algorithm is formed and applied for the inversion analysis of the parameters of rock-fill materials. The sensitivity of the parameters in the Duncan and Chang's E-B model is analyzed using the orthogonal test design. The case study shows that the parameters φ0, K, Rf, and Kb are sensitive to the deformation of the rock-fill dam and the inversion analysis for these parameters is performed by the HS-BPNN algorithm. Compared with the traditional BPNN, the HS-BPNN algorithm exhibits the advantages of high convergence precision, fast convergence rate, and strong stability.

Key technical problems of extra-high concrete faced rock-fill dam

This paper summarizes the main technical points related to 100 m-height-scale concrete faced rock-fill dams and analyzes the main problems and their causes occurring during construction of 200 m-height-scale concrete faced rock-fill dams. This paper has raised the key technical problems which need to study for construction of 300 m-height-scale concrete faced rock-fill dams based on the main experiences on the extra-high concrete faced rock-fill dams built after the year of 2000.

The Cemented Material Dam： A New, Environmentally Friendly Type of Dam

The first author proposed the concept of the cemented material dam （CMD） in 2009. This concept was aimed at building an environmentally friendly dam in a safer and more economical way for both the dam and the area downstream. The concept covers the cemented sand, gravel, and rock dam （CSGRD）, the rockfill concrete （RFC） dam （or the cemented rockfill dam, CRD）, and the cemented soil dam （CSD）. This paper summarizes the concept and principles of the CMD based on studies and practices in projects around the world. It also introduces new developments in the CSGRD, CRD, and CSD.

In-plane transversal normal stresses in the concrete face of CFRD induced by the first-dam reservoir filling

To evaluate the effects of dam height, valley narrowness and width of concrete slabs on the first-dam reservoir filling in-plane transversal normal stresses in the concrete face of CFRD＇s, 3D finite difference analyses were carried out. Behavior of rockfiU dams considered in this study was defined from the monitoring of a number of 3D sets of pressure cells and extensometers installed in three large dams in Mexico. The 3D analyses results show that high in-plane transversal compressive stresses develop within the concrete panels located in the central concrete face zone upon dam reservoir filling loading. Likewise, in-plane induced tensile transversal stresses in the zones near the abutments increase the potential of slabs cracking and damaging the waterstops in-between the vertical and perimetral joints. From the results of the 3D finite difference analyses, a simple method to estimate in-plane normal stresses in the concrete face is advanced and through comparisons with the results of a 3D case numerical study, its accuracy assessed.

基于CNN-LSTM的大坝变形组合预测模型研究

为了提高大坝变形预测模型精度和泛化能力,建立了一种基于卷积神经网络(Convolutional neural networks,CNN)与深度学习长短期记忆(Long short-term memory,LSTM)神经网络的组合预测模型CNN-LSTM。该模型先利用CNN提取大坝变形监测时间序列的特征,再利用LSTM生成特征描述,该模型精度高、泛化能力强。以柏叶口水库混凝土面板堆石坝为例,经过CNN-LSTM模型计算,将模型变形预测值与原型监测资料进行对比,再与LSTM模型及CNN模型的预测结果进行对比。结果表明,CNN-LSTM模型预测值最接近监测资料实测结果。

超深覆盖层上面板坝防渗墙连接板接缝变形机制及优化分析

针对超深软弱覆盖层上的面板坝工程止水缝安全问题,从变形和应力2个方面开展优化研究,揭示了防渗墙连接板趾板面板防渗体系的变形模式,定位了薄弱位置,提出了优化方案,并量化了工程应用效果.结果表明,防渗墙与趾板间沉降差集中在防渗墙与连接板之间的止水缝处,设置多块连接板无法起到逐步过渡沉降差的作用.防渗墙下游侧设置侧向支撑、制作倾斜形止水缝、趾板下设支撑墙均可减小防渗墙连接板间止水缝沉陷变形.相比垂直止水缝和多块连接板的传统方案,所提的防渗墙顶部拓宽连接板倾斜形止水缝以及防渗墙顶部拓宽倾斜形止水缝趾板下设支撑墙的深厚覆盖层上面板坝防渗体系综合优化方案可使防渗墙与连接板之间止水缝沉陷变形分别减小41.5%和53.8%.