Research Progress of Rock-Fill Material Degradation in a Severe Environment

Dams have been built more than 90% are earth and rockfill dams in china, a large number of survey data about high earth and rockfill dams show that, in the long working process, the reservoir level fluctuation, temperature changes, the saturation line promotion and demotion, rainfall infiltration, evaporation and other factors, will lead to the mechanical properties of rockfill obviously deterioration, and cause additional deformation in the dam. The article summarizes the current research status and problems from the flowing and wetting deformation, environmental change, and particle breakage. It is urgent assignment that research and development the weathering test instrument about rockfill materials under the severe environment, and the study on the rule of rockfill materials particle breakage, mechanics property weakened, volume deformation, flow rate under the change of the environment factors must to be done. The research conclusion will predicate reasonable the long-term deformation of high earth and rockfill dam under the severe environment, and provide important theoretical and technical support for protecting the security and stability of the whole life cycle of the dam.