Study on Influence of Numerical Simulation Accuracy on High Core Wall Rockfill Dam Deformation and Crack Analysis

Abstract

With the increasing height of rockfill dams, detailed and effective numerical simulation for the dam design and construction has become increasingly important. This paper develops a detailed and effective finite element simulation program for the construction and impoundment process of high large-scale earth rockfill dams and studies the influence of numerical simulation accuracy on dam deformation and crack analysis. By establishing the subdivision mode of conventional elements, the mesh generation of detailed finite element simulation is realized. Using the row compression storage method and the MPI parallel method, the calculation program of the total stiffness matrix is developed on the Linux operating system. On the basis of the detailed simulation program above, the filling and impoundment process of Pubugou high core wall rockfill dam is simulated, and it is found that the influence of simulation accuracy on the core wall zone is greater than that on the rockfill zone. Compared with the dam construction process, the detailed simulation of the impoundment process is more necessary. When simulating the impoundment process, there is a significant effect of simulation accuracy on the simulation result of the upstream side of the core wall and the upstream filtration zone. So, it is necessary to simulate the impoundment process of the earth rockfill dam in detail. Moreover, using the detailed method to simulate the impoundment process of earth rockfill dams can more accurately predict dam cracks.