ABSTRACT
The ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation of a rollcrete gravity dam is determined, under the assumption that the behaviour of the rock mass is non linear and that the transverse isotropy is due to the presence of a single familiy of discontinuities. The calculation procedure is based on previous papers published by Serrano & Olalla. A complete sensitivity analysis is conducted to find the dependence of the Safety Coefficient on the different parameters involved: Hoek & Brown model, linear strength of the planes of weakness and geometrical configuration. It is obtained that a sufficient safety margin exists with respect to the failure mechanism studied.
