TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose A large, uneven settlement that is unfavourable to dam safety can occur between a concrete cut-off wall and the high-plasticity clay of earth core dam built on alluviums. This issue has been often studied using the small-strain finite element (FE) method in previous research. This paper aims to research the interaction behaviour between a concrete cut-off wall and high-plasticity clay using large-deformation FE analyses.Design/methodology/approach The re-meshing and interpolation technique with a small-strain (RITSS) method was performed using an independently developed program and adopted for large-deformation FE analyses, and a suitable element size for the high-plasticity clay region was suggested. The layered construction process of an earth core dam built on thick alluviums was simulated using the RITSS method incorporating a hyperbolic model for soil.Findings The RITSS method is an effective technique for simulating the soil–structure interaction during dam construction. The RITSS analysis predicted a higher maximum principle stress of the concrete cut-off wall and higher stress levels in the high-plasticity clay region than small-strain FE analysis.Originality/value A practical method for large-deformation FE analysis was advised and was used for the first time to study the interaction between a concrete cut-off wall and high-plasticity clay in dam engineering. Large deformation in the high-plasticity clay was handled using the RITSS method. Moreover, the penetration process of the concrete cut-off wall into the high-plasticity clay was captured using a favourable element shape and mesh density.
VL  - 34
IS  - 4
SN  - 0264-4401
DO  - 10.1108/EC-04-2016-0118
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-04-2016-0118
AU  - Yu Xiang
AU  - Zou Degao
AU  - Kong Xianjing
AU  - Yu Long
PY  - 2017
Y1  - 2017/01/01
TI  - Large-deformation finite element analysis of the interaction between concrete cut-off walls and high-plasticity clay in an earth core dam
T2  - Engineering Computations
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 1126
EP  - 1148
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -