ABSTRACT

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of the development of cracks caused by water pressure. For earth core rockfill dams, if hydraulic fracturing occurs, transverse cracks could be developed from upstream to downstream. Then, concentrated leakage will be produced and lead to the failure of the impervious core or even to the breach of the whole dam. Recently, with the development of high rockfill dams, how to effectively analyse for the possibility of hydraulic fracturing and how to avoid the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing by engineering measures are the most important issue for the design and construction of high rockfill dams.