Safety evaluation of cored rockfill dams under high seismicity using dynamic centrifuge modeling

Abstract Dynamic centrifuge modeling was performed for inclined-core rockfill dams under high seismicity to assess their seismic safety and characterize the dynamic response of embankments. Latest techniques including two-stage generalized scaling, shell stiffness matching, and single target g-level shaking were adopted. The effect of rockfill material degradation on the seismic response was investigated. All the inclined-core rockfill dam models indicated that exceptionally strong shaking (0.7–1.0 g ) does not endanger structural safety although the less competent shell models undergo comparable deformation. Measured data indicated that a counterbalancing effect influences the seismic response of dam models: increased damping from shear strains (material nonlinearity) and amplification from material inhomogeneity. An irregular stiff foundation is believed to affect the attenuation characteristics of motion. The study results/data will contribute to the research of advanced physical modeling of large embankments under seismic areas and help to validate the procedures and results of numerical modeling.