Predictive numerical modeling of the behavior of asphalt-core rockfill dam

The construction of large dams with asphalt concrete core and shoulders of Rockfill is becoming more and more common in many countries around the world. This article focuses on the Yele dam (China) with a height of 124.5 m. Filling material and monitoring measures during the construction and impoundment are available. A hydro-mechanical analysis coupled with the finite element method with Code_Bright software is used. The constitutive parameters were obtained by back-analysis from triaxial tests using an elastoplastic model for Rockfill materials, while a viscoelastic is used to model the core asphalt. According to the numerical modelling, the collapse effect is due for impounding and effect of wetting. The results were compared with the geotechnical instrumentation measure available.