Study on the safety of cemented sand and gravel dams based on the profile form of model tests

Abstract

As a newly developed dam type, cemented sand and gravel (CSG) dams have attracted widespread attention from the global dam construction industry because of their environmental friendliness and economic benefits. However, due to the lack of research on its application, there is no systematic model test study of its profile form on dam safety. In this paper, the Oyuk dam is used as the prototype profile to conduct a model test study of four different profiles of CSG dams by changing their upstream and downstream slope ratios. The deformation characteristics of the dam body, the damage process, and the damage pattern of the model are studied and analyzed through the test process. The results show that (1) in this paper, the structural model test of the CSG dam can better simulate the damage of the prototype structure, and the overload safety degree Kp = 4.2 for profile 1; Kp = 4.0 for profile 2; Kp = 4.0 for profile 3; and Kp = 3.8 for profile 4 is obtained through the test;(2) affected by the self-weight of the dam and hydrostatic pressure, the displacement value of the dam body upstream of the top of the dam body is the largest, and the concentrated stress value of the contact surface between the dam body and the dam foundation is the largest, and the larger the slope ratio of the profile is the smaller the stress value is, the larger the displacement value is, and comparing the four typical profiles, it can be seen that the design of the profile form of 1:0.7 is more secure;(3) the final damage mode for each different profile is sliding damage along the foundation surface and cracks at the heel of the upstream dam. These results can provide a reference for designers and lay the foundation for the promotion and application of CSG dams.