Calculation Methods for the Permeability Coefficient of Concrete Face Rockfill Dam with Cracks

Abstract

The permeability coefficient of a concrete slab rockfill dam (CFRD) was calculated in this paper on the basis of the equivalent quasi-continuum model for the percolation of crack-intensive face. This calculation helped simplify the establishment of a finite element model and improve the efficiency of calculating the seepage of dams. Moreover, an inversion algorithm based on particle swarm optimization and support vector machine was proposed and applied. Comparison of the permeability coefficients produced from the two methods showed minimal difference. On this basis, the seepage field of the dam was analyzed. The analysis and field monitoring data reveal that the proposed algorithm is of high application value, which lays a foundation for future studies on the seepage properties of CFRD with cracks.

A New Approach for Seepage Parameters Inversion Analysis Using Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm and Support Vector Regression

“…Artificial intelligence algorithms are gradually introduced into the field of hydraulic engineering [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Neaupane [22] used Matlab to construct a BP neural network model applied to landslide prediction.…”

Inverse Modeling of Seepage Parameters Based on an Improved Gray Wolf Optimizer

“…Simulated annealing [9][10][11][12] and ant colony optimization [13][14][15][16][17] have also been extensively used in the inverse problem. Significantly, much progress has been made in the research field of seepage because of optimization algorithms [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Tan et al [26] proposed a biological immune mechanism-based quantum particle swarm optimization (IQPSO) algorithm to solve the inversion problem of seepage parameters.…”

Long‐Term Settlement of High Concrete‐Face Rockfill Dam by Field Monitoring and Numerical Simulation

“…Without the support of rockfill, fractures may develop in concrete-face panels caused by panel's weight and external loads, which seriously affects the performance and fatigue life of CFRDs [9]. For example, the fractured concrete-faces have been reported in the Australian Cethana CFRD with a height of 110 m and the Chinese Tianshengqiao CFRD with a height of 178 m. If the fractures continue to develop, significant water leaks may occur [10,11], which may cause structural failure of the dams [12][13][14][15][16][17][18], such as Gouhou CFRD failure in August 1993 in Qinghai Province, China [19].…”