Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mechanisms of Interaction Between an Arch Dam and Abutment Slope Using Physical Model Tests

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In southwestern China, the stability of high-steep slopes in large-scale hydropower projects has become a key technical challenge that constrains the safety of construction and operation. Based on a geological survey of the large-scale rock block in the Jinping-I Hydropower Station left bank, the entire system of the dam and its abutment slope is defined as the study subject. The mechanisms of interaction between the arch dam and the abutment slope during the construction stage, the impoundment stage and the structural plane strength-weakening stage are investigated using physical model tests. (1) During the excavation stage, the early-stage excavation has a significant impact on the huge rock block, whereas the impact of later-stage excavation is relatively small. (2) During the impoundment stage, the dam foundation is under hydraulic load. Therefore, the huge rock block moves away from the slope due to the arch thrust. (3) During the structural plane strength-weakening stage, both sides of the structural planes develop a relative displacement, and the massive rock block slips slightly. Moreover, the strain of the dam is slightly different from the situation in the normal impoundment stage. The majority of the downstream plane is under tension, indicating that a decline in the bedrock strength of the left bank dam abutment results in deformation of the dam towards the mountain body, the riverbed and the top part of the dam crest.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chen X (1984) Structural model experiment on brittle materials. Water Resources and Electric Power Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Zhang L, Yang G, Dong J, Chen J (2012) Anti-sliding stability of a gravity dam on complicated foundation with multiple structural planes. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 55:151–156. doi:10.1016/j.ijrmms.2012.07.010

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Zhang L, Yang B, Dong J, Chen J (2015) Geomechanical model test on dam stability and application to Jinping High arch dam. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 76:1–9. doi:10.1016/j.ijrmms.2015.01.001

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng L, Liu YR, Yang Q, Pan YW, Lv Z (2017) Mechanism and numerical simulation of reservoir slope deformation during impounding of high arch dams based on nonlinear FEM. Comput Geotech 81:143–154. doi:10.1016/j.compgeo.2016.08.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fumagalli E (1966) Stability of arch dam rock abutments. In: Proceedings of First ISRM Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, pp 503–508

  • Fumagalli E (1973) Statical and geomechanical models. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Huang R, Lin F, Yan M (2010) Deformation mechanism and stability evaluation for the left abutment slope of Jinping I hydropower station. Bull Eng Geol Environ 69:365–372. doi:10.1007/s10064-010-0283-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemos JV (1996) Modelling of arch dams on jointed rock foundations. In: Proceedings of ISRM International Symposium—EUROCK’96. Turin, Italy, pp 519–526

  • Lemos JV, Pina CAB, Costa CP, Gomes JP (1995) Experimental study of an arch dam on a jointed foundation. In: Proceedings of the Eighth ISRM Congress. Tokyo, Japan, pp 1263–1266

  • Li DQ, Jiang SH, Cao ZJ, Zhou CB, Li XY, Zhang LM (2015) Efficient 3-D reliability analysis of the 530 m high abutment slope at Jinping I hydropower station during construction. Eng Geol 195:269–281. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2015.06.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin P, Liu X, Zhou W, Wang R, Wang S (2015) Cracking, stability and slope reinforcement analysis relating to the Jinping dam based on a geomechanical model test. Arab J Geosci 8:4393–4410. doi:10.1007/s12517-014-1529-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Feng XT, Ding XL, Zhang J, Yue DM (2003) Stability assessment of the Three-Gorges Dam foundation, China, using physical and numerical modeling—part I: physical model tests. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 40:609–631. doi:10.1016/S1365-1609(03)00055-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Huang Y, Yang Q, Chang Q (2010) Study of interaction between high arch dam and abutment excavated slope. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 29:4038–4042

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberti G, Fumagalli E (1979) Static geomechanical model of the Ridracoli arch gravity dam. In: Proceedings of Fourth ISRM Congress, Montreux, Switzerland, pp 493–496

  • Oliveira S, Faria R (2006) Numerical simulation of collapse scenarios in reduced scale tests of arch dams. Eng Struct 28:1430–1439. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2006.01.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qi S, Wu F, Zhou Y, Song Y, Gong M (2010) Influence of deep seated discontinuities on the left slope of Jinping I Hydropower Station and its stability analysis. Bull Eng Geol Environ 69:333–342. doi:10.1007/s10064-010-0268-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun G, Zheng H, Huang Y (2015) Stability analysis of statically indeterminate blocks in key block theory and application to rock slope in Jinping-I Hydropower Station. Eng Geol 186:57–67. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2014.09.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun G, Cheng S, Jiang W, Zheng H (2016) A global procedure for stability analysis of slopes based on the Morgenstern-Price assumption and its applications. Comput Geotech 80:97–106. doi:10.1016/j.compgeo.2016.06.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun G, Yang Y, Cheng S, Zheng H (2017) Phreatic line calculation and stability analysis of slopes under the combined effect of reservoir water level fluctuations and rainfall. Can Geotech J 54:631–645. doi:10.1139/cgj-2016-0315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu NW, Dai F, Liang ZZ, Zhou Z, Sha C, Tang CA (2014) The dynamic evaluation of rock slope stability considering the effects of microseismic damage. Rock Mech Rock Eng 47:621–642. doi:10.1007/s00603-013-0432-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu N, Dai F, Zhou Z, Jiang P, Zhao T (2016) Microseismicity and its time–frequency characteristics of the left bank slope at the Jinping first-stage hydropower station during reservoir impoundment. Environ Earth Sci 75:608. doi:10.1007/s12665-016-5539-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou C, Jiang Q, Wei W, Chen Y, Rong G (2016) Safety monitoring and stability analysis of left bank high slope at Jinping-I hydropower station. Q J Eng Geol Hydrogeol 49:308–321. doi:10.1144/qjegh2015-037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu WS, Zhang QB, Zhu HH, Li Y, Yin J-H, Li SC, Sun LF, Zhang L (2010) Large-scale geomechanical model testing of an underground cavern group in a true three-dimensional (3-D) stress state. Can Geotech J 47:935–946. doi:10.1139/T10-006

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11572009) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China

    Guanhua Sun, Shan Lin, Chunguang Li & Hong Zheng

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shan Lin

  3. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002, Hubei, China

    Shengguo Cheng

  4. MBLEM, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK

    Tan Sui

Authors
  1. Guanhua Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shan Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shengguo Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tan Sui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chunguang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hong Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hong Zheng.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sun, G., Lin, S., Cheng, S. et al. Mechanisms of Interaction Between an Arch Dam and Abutment Slope Using Physical Model Tests. Rock Mech Rock Eng 51, 2483–2504 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1321-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1321-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation