FDM-DEM modeling of a rockfill dam with dry-stone pitching: a case study
FDM-DEM modeling of a rockfill dam with dry-stone pitching: a case study
Rockfill dams with dry-stone pitching are hydraulic structures mainly built in the early 20th century. Their upstream and downstream faces are protected by stones laid by hand without mortar. Electricity of France, a French stakeholder, currently operates about ten dams of this kind in France. However, the mechanical behaviour of such dams is not yet well understood, and few studies have been conducted to quantify their seismic and static behaviour and resistance. This study includes the modelling of one of those dams located in the French Pyrenees mountains. It is carried out using the mixed continuum-discrete numerical approach validated in a prior work. The dam body is modelled as a continuum medium and the pitching dry stones as discrete bodies. First, the construction phases and reservoir filling processes are modelled. The obtained displacements are analysed and compared with those observed on-site to validate the model parameters. Then, the dam seismic resistance is evaluated by performing pseudo-static tests provided by tilting the dam until failure. The static and seismic safety factors are calculated accordingly and the role of the pitching in the dam resistance is specified.
Ali HAIDAR; E. Vincens; Fabian Dedecker; Roland Plassart
10th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (NUMGE2023)
7. Dams, embankments and slopes
https://doi.org/10.53243/NUMGE2023-215
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