Abstract
Numerous large-scale hydropower projects have been developed in the deep canyon area of western Sichuan, China, which is characterized by complicated regional geology conditions, high initial stress, and complex valley stress fields. An understanding of the distribution characteristics of valley stress is therefore crucial for safe hydropower engineering practices in such areas. In this study, 174 stress measurements were taken at 17 hydropower stations at the Minjiang, Daduhe, Yalongjiang, and Jinshajiang rivers using the three holes intersection method, and statistical analysis of the data was performed. The results show that the valley stress in western Sichuan is caused by the local tectonic stress field, which is affected mainly by a regional structure at vertical depths shallower than 350 m and the gravitational field below 350 m. The maximal principal stress distribution with the horizontal distance can be divided into three types: monotonic increase, local low value, and single or double camel-hump. The maximum principal stress is mainly < 15 MPa at the Minjiang River, 10–30 MPa at the Daduhe River, 15–35 MPa at the Yalongjiang River, and 15–40 MPa at the Jinshajiang River. The dip angle of the maximal principal stress is mainly between 0° and 30°, in accordance with test points in the basins and hydropower stations.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Esther Posner, PhD, from Liwen Bianji, Edanz Editing China (www.liwenbianji.cn/ac), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript. This study was financially supported by Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited (CHIDI), POWERCHINA. The authors wish to acknowledge the significant contributions to this study by all colleagues of CHIDI who provide large amounts of original data.
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Yang, J., Zhao, X., Song, S. et al. Distribution characteristics of valley stress of hydropower engineering projects in western Sichuan. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 156 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02647-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02647-6