Study on applicability of material constitutive model calculation for high core wall rockfill dam

In order to study the applicability of different material constitutive models to the calculation of stress and deformation of high core rockfill dam, the material constitutive verification and the finite element analysis of the dam body of Duncan E-B model, Shen Zhujiang double yield surface model and MPZG model were carried out based on the laboratory test results of the rockfill material of RM 300 m grade high core rockfill dam. The results show that all the three models can better perform the stress response under the triaxial path of rockfill, while Duncan E-B model has poor performance in volume response under low confining pressure. The stress and deformation distribution of the dam body calculated by the three models are in accordance with the general law, and the stress is similar, but the settlement and along-river displacement obtained by Duncan E-B model are both larger. It is suggested that Duncan E-B model should be used for early analysis in the early stage of high core rockfill dam construction, and that Shen Zhujiang double yield surface model and MPZG model should be used for decision evaluation in the later stage. © 2024 Central South University of Technology. All rights reserved.