Effect of Low Temperature and Freeze-thaw on Stress and Deformation of Concrete Faced Rockfill Dams

Abstract

The freezing and freeze-thaw cycles may reduce the mechanical strength of the material for a concrete faced rockfill dam (CFRD), resulting in the risk of structural damage to the dam under the design load. In order to study the influence of freezing and freeze-thaw on the stress and deformation of the CFRDs, some experimental results and theoretical analysis for the influence of freezing and freeze-thaw cycles on the mechanical parameters of concrete face slab and rockfill were introduced at first. The finite element method (FEM) was adopted for the structural analysis of a CFRD in the high altitude area of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. Using the FEM analysis results, the distribution of stress and deformation of concrete face slab and dam body were obtained and a comparison was made with the analysis results when the freezing and freeze-thaw cycles were not taken into account. Some conclusions were drawn from these analysis results and the research results provide a reliable basis for the design and construction of the CFRD in the future.