Analysis on residual strain of Zipingpu Concrete Faced Rockfill Dam after Wenchuan earthquake

The Zipingpu Concrete Faced Rockfill Dam (CFRD) was subjected to significant local damage in the “5.12” Wenchuan earthquake. It is the first rockfill dam of more than one hundred meters high to encounter a strong earthquake anywhere in the world. Based on the finite element smoothing method, the residual strains at a typical cross-section and a downstream slope of the dam were obtained by processing the dam monitored displacement data. The position of and reason for the dam settlement and deformation of rockfill dilatancy in the earthquake were analyzed according to the section residual strain. The results show that the maximum settlement ratio on the dam body approximately occurs at 2/3 of the dam height; dilatancy occurs from the dam crest to 25–30 m in the upstream and downstream slope; the immediate cause of the face slabs horizontal construction joint dislocation is excessive residual shear strain. Meanwhile, the position of and reason for the dam fissure in the earthquake were analyzed according to the dam slope residual strain.