Static and Pseudo Static Study of Stress and Displacement of Earth-Fill Dam Using Layered and Single-Layer Models

Earthfill dams stability in steady state seepage condition is very important, especially during earthquakes. Numerical software analyses require accurate and realistic modeling of construction stages. Since earthfill dams are constructed in different layers, so these conditions should be considered in software modeling to achieve a reasonable design. In this study, an earthfill dam is modeled in PLAXIS software and the effects of the number and shape of layers are studied in dry and steadystate conditions. Obtained results in static and pseudostatic analyses show that modeling of earthfill dams with different layers has significant effects on shear stresses and horizontal displacements. For example, horizontal displacements and shear stresses, increase at least 50% and 17% respectively, in comparison with single layer models. According to the obtained results, it can be mentioned that modeling of an earthfill dam in the layered model and rather in inclined layers are more reasonable