Performance of El Infiernillo Dam, 1963-1966

A brief description is given of El Infiernillo Rockfill Dam, in Mexico, finished in 1963. Reference is made to laboratory tests performed with core and roc fill materials. The type, number, and location of Instruments are given. An outline made of two- and three-dimensional methods used for stability analysis. Typical results of measurements in the various instruments are presented, separating developments during construction from the effects of reservoir filling. Data include observation of strains, horizontal and vertical displacements within the dam and at the surface, pore pressures, and accelerations from earthquake action. The various types of measurements were correlated with the results of laboratory tests in an attempt to relate field observations to the actual stability conditions of the prototype. The possibility of determining stresses through measurement of volumetric strains and distortions, in the field and in laboratory tests with representative rockfill samples, is advanced.