Concrete face rockfill dams - new chalenges for monitoring and analysis

Concrete face rockfiil dams (CFRDs) are gaining a worldwide recognition as the most economical type of dams to be constructed in extreme northern and sub-Antarctic regions. Safety of CFRDs depends on the proper design, construction, and monitoring of tual behaviour during the construction and during the operation of the structure. The main concern for the safety of CFRDs is the deformation of the concrete face. During the reservoir filling, the load of water and deformations of the dam rockfiil force upstream concrete slab to deform. The displacements of the concrete face during the reservoir filling should not exceed the maximum allowed values in order to maintain the structural integrity of the concrete face. Due to uncertainty of the model parameters, careful monitoring of the dams and their surroundings are required in order to verify and enhance the model. This paper presents a study of the behavior of the upstream concrete face slabs and internal displacements that develop in the rockfiil during construction and during filling the reservoir. The research is based on two examples: the Toulnustouc Dam (75 m) located in Northern Quebec, Canada, and the Shuibuya Dam in P. R. China, the tallest (233 m) concrete face rockfiil dam in the world. The results of in study serve also as a basis for designing deformation monitoring schenies for the conete face rockfiil dams.