Seismic response of Heitiejiao tailings dam by the finite element method

Abstract

In this study, seismic response of a tailings dam is investigated by finite element method. The Heitiejiao dam constructed in She county, China is chosen as a numerical example. The interaction of the tailings dam with the reservoir is neglected, but not the foundation rock. The properties of the dam materials were taken from the dam project and assumed to be linearly elastic, homogenous and isotropic in the analysis. A stationary and ergodicity assumption is made for seismic analysis. The E–W component of the Tianjin Earthquake is chosen as a ground motion since it occurred nearby the dam site. The component considered is applied to the dam in the horizontal direction. The seismic response of the Heitiejiao dam subjected to the Tianjin Earthquake is also obtained by the deterministic method. The results obtained from stochastic and deterministic analysis are compared to each other. It is seen that the results obtained from the time-history analysis are smaller than those from the deterministic analysis.