Static and Seismic Analyses of the Zipingpu Dam Using an Advanced Bounding Surface Plasticity Model

There are a large number of constitutive models developed to simulate the behaviour of embankment dams subjected to static and dynamic loading. However, it is difficult to evaluate the performance of such models without well recorded data from case histories. The strong ground motion of Wenchuan earthquake which hit Zipingpu Dam in China in 2008 has provided an excellent benchmark to study the behaviour of large modern rockfill dams subjected to seismic loading. The performance of the dam during construction and prior and after the earthquake loading has been recorded with good accuracy and provides a reliable database to examine the reliability of available constitutive models. In this paper, an advanced bounding surface plasticity model has been used in a series of numerical analyses to study the static and dynamic behaviour of Zipingpu Dam. The model can take in to account particle breakage that may occur in monotonic and cyclic loading of rockfill materials. The material parameters required for the model are calibrated based on the results of monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests on the rockfill material. The results of the numerical simulation are compared with the displacements measured during impoundment and after the earthquake.