Coupled and uncoupled seepage-stress analysis of roller compacted concrete dams

The seepage problem of roller compacted concrete (RCC) dams is more complex because of involving compaction in its construction process in a series of layers. After completion of reservoir storage, the distribution of dam seepage field will affect that of the stress field. At the same time, the change in the dam stress field will react on the dam’s pores and cracks, reflecting the significance of seepage. Clearly, an interaction exists between seepage and stress fields. Therefore, it is of great importance and interest to evaluate the safety of gravity dams under the coupled seepage–stress interaction. In this paper, the interaction between seepage and stress fields of RCC dam is analysed based on coupled and uncoupled models. Numerical solution of coupled and uncoupled seepage and stress fields of Kinta RCC gravity dam (located in Malaysia) is analysed by means of the finite-element method in this study. The results show a similar distribution of seepage, stress and displacement fields for both models. However, compared to the uncoupled model, the displacement and stress components increase at different rates and the stress concentration near the dam heel is more obvious in the coupled model.