Figure 1
Earth dam.
Table 1
Values of different parameters of the problem.
| Parameters | References values | Variations in studied values |
|---|---|---|
| Upstream friction angle (φ) | 25° | 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 |
| Core cohesion (CN) | 30 kPa | 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 70 |
| Upstream unit weight (γ) | 20 kN/m3 | 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 |
| Dam height (H) | 10 m | 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 |
| Slope angle (β) | 21° | 21, 30, 40, 60, 70, 75 |
| Upstream sloping core (α1) | 31.5° | 31.5, 40, 45, 60, 70, 80 |
| Water level height is taken in the worst case | 8 m | |
| Seismic coefficient spreads in the range | [0, 0.3] |
Figure 2
Model geometry and finite element mesh of the embankment with sloping core zone.
Figure 3
Effect of the internal friction angle.
Figure 4
Effect of the internal friction angle with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 5
Effect of the seismic coefficient.
Figure 6
Effect of the seismic coefficient with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 7
Effect of the core cohesion.
Figure 8
Effect of the core cohesion with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 9
Effect of the slope angle.
Figure 10
Effect of the slope angle with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 11
Effect of the upstream sloping core.
Figure 12
Effect of the upstream sloping core with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 13
Effect of dam's height.
Figure 14
Effect of dam's height with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Figure 15
Effect of the upstream unit's weight.
Figure 16
Effect of the upstream unit's weight with PLAXIS and GEOSTAB.
Table 2
Comparison of Kc at critical state of the different methods.
| DYNANSTA | PLAXIS | ABAQUS | GEOSTAB | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| φ(°) | γ (kN/m3) | CN(kPa) | K c | Fd | K c | Fd | Δ | Kc | Fd | Δ | Kc | Fd | Δ |
| 5 | 0.063 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | < 1 | - | ||
| 10 | 0.075 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.05 | 1.024 | −2.5 | ||
| 20 | 0.089 | 1 | 0.15 | 1.202 | 6.08 | 0.191 | 1.139 | 10.18 | 0.3 | 1.042 | 21.08 | ||
| 30 | 0.092 | 1 | 0.15 | 1.202 | 5.80 | 0.252 | 1.165 | 16 | 0.401 | 1.12 | 30.90 | ||
| 50 | 0.111 | 1 | 0.18 | 1.094 | 6.94 | 0.317 | 1.247 | 20.64 | 0.55 | 1.051 | 43.94 | ||
| 70 | 0.1 | 1.05 | 0.18 | 1.141 | 8 | 0.382 | 1.31 | 28.2 | 0.558 | 1.056 | 45.8 | ||
| 25 | 0.092 | 1 | 0.15 | 1.202 | 5.80 | 0.252 | 1.165 | 16 | 0.401 | 1.12 | 30.90 | ||
| 26 | 0.115 | 0.953 | 0.15 | 1.181 | 3.5 | 0.255 | 1.169 | 14 | 0.45 | 1.039 | 33.5 | ||
| 27 | 0.125 | 0.938 | 0.15 | 1.192 | 2.5 | 0.257 | 1.173 | 13.2 | 0.521 | 1.014 | 39.6 | ||
| 28 | 0.149 | 1.1 | 0.15 | 1.475 | 0.1 | 0.261 | 1.179 | 11.2 | 0.532 | 0.972 | 38.3 | ||
| 29 | 0.15 | 1.15 | 0.18 | 1.108 | 3.01 | 0.269 | 1.183 | 11.9 | 0.5 | 0.994 | 35 | ||
| 30 | 0.15 | 1.2 | 0.19 | 1.071 | 4 | 0.273 | 1.188 | 12.3 | 0.5 | 1.025 | 35 | ||
| 17 | [0, 0.3] | < 1 | 0.15 | 1.198 | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 1.063 | - | ||
| 18 | [0, 0.3] | < 1 | 0.2 | 1.073 | - | - | - | - | 0.108 | 1.07 | - | ||
| 19 | [0, 0.3] | < 1 | 0.2 | 1.044 | - | - | - | - | 0.121 | 1.009 | - | ||
| 20 | 0.092 | 1 | 0.15 | 1.202 | 5.80 | 0.252 | 1.165 | 16 | 0.401 | 1.12 | 30.90 | ||
| 21 | 0.087 | 1 | 0.15 | 1.194 | 6.28 | 0.253 | 1.182 | 16.58 | 0.445 | 1.109 | 35.78 | ||
| 22 | 0.117 | 1 | 0.2 | 1.072 | 8.35 | 0.255 | 1.19 | 13.85 | 0.473 | 1.11 | 35.65 | ||
Figure 17
Kc critical state values according to the different variations.