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3‐D infinite boundary elements and simulation of monolithic dam foundations

1989; Wiley; Volume: 5; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/cnm.1630050605

1555-2047

Chuhan Zhang, Chongmin Song, Wang Guanglun, Feng Jin,

Hydraulic flow and structures

Abstract Based on the asymptotic behaviour of the fundamental solution for 3‐D elasticity problems, this paper presents an infinite boundary element model (IBEM) and its interpolation form. By using the analytical solution for half‐space under a vertical loading, excellent accuracy of this model has been verified. As an engineering application, the infinite foundation of a monolithic gravity dam was modelled by IBEM and the dam itself by normal BEM, and the displacement and stress distributions of the dam were analysed. It was concluded that large structure and foundation problems can be solved by this coupling system with the advantage of having fewer degrees of freedom and less data preparations. The results also clearly show the great improvement of the 3‐D model for critical stresses of the dam over the 2‐D plane model for narrow canyons having a width‐height ratio less than 2·4. Thus, a more economical cross‐section for dams can be achieved by 3‐D analysis.