Wetting Deformation of Core-Wall Rockfill Dams

Abstract

In this study, a new wetting deformation simulation method for core-wall rockfill dams is proposed based on a wetting model that considers the upstream damming rockfill as softening materials when they are immersed and saturated. In this simulation process, as the water level in the reservoir rises, the calculation of dam wetting deformation is realized by gradually reducing the deformation modulus of the rockfill materials. To verify the method’s reliability, the collapse settlement caused by the wetting deformation of the Guanyinyan rockfill dam during impoundment is numerically simulated, and the results show that the calculated wetting deformations agree well with the measured ones. The wetting of upstream rockfill materials would cause an adverse deformation trend, which may lead to crack occurrence at the crest and on the upstream slope.