Seismic Behavior of Rock-Filled Concrete Dam Compared with Conventional Vibrating Concrete Dam Using Finite Element Method

A rock-filled concrete (RFC) dam is an original dam construction technology invented in China nearly 20 years ago. The technology has been continuously improved and innovated upon, and the accumulated rich practical experience gradually formed a complete dam design and construction technology. Seismic design is a key design area for RFC dams that still requires more investigation; therefore, this article attempts to address some questions in this area. In the article, the seismic design for a curved gravity dam, currently under construction, is compared for RFC and conventional vibrating concrete (CVC) dam alternatives based on American design documents. The conclusions drawn from investigations include the following: The displacement and stress distributions in both the CVC and RFC alternatives are similar, but the maximum computed values for the RFC dam model are slightly smaller than those for the CVC one, while the sliding resistance of both dam alternatives can meet the requirements of the specifications. Regarding the nonlinear seismic analysis results, the extent of damage in the RFC dam model is significantly reduced when compared with the CVC model, which can be explained by the higher cracking resistance of RFC. In general, the seismic performance of the investigated dam made of RFC appears to be better than that of CVC.