Behaviour of concrete-face rockfill dam on sand and gravel foundation

Abstract

An increasing number of dams are being built on deep sand and gravel foundations. In this paper, the stress–deformation behaviour of a concrete-face rockfill dam built on sand and gravel foundation is studied based on in situ monitoring results and finite-element analysis. The effects of a dam construction scheme on the behaviour of the dam and its impervious structures are discussed. The stress and deformation values that were computed using the finite-element analysis model are consistent with the measured data. The monitored data and numerical results indicate that maximum settlement occurred at the bottom of the dam and maximum compressive stress is distributed in the foundation. The concrete-face rockfill dam built on the sand and gravel foundation exhibited good performance. The staged construction scheme of the dam caused uneven deformation and stress concentration in the dam body but could improve the behaviour of the cut-off wall to a certain extent. Moreover, several factors that influence the behaviour of the cut-off wall are analysed.