Abaqus Multiphysics / Structural-Pore Pressure / Structural-Pore Pressure Example
Construction and Earthquake Simulation of an Earthen Dam
 Challenge
Earthen dam structures rely on the ability of a soil mass to remain stable when the slopes of the soil mass are less than a certain value. Under certain loading conditions, however, the stability of the mass can be compromised and these loading conditions must be considered in the design process.
Construction entails sequential placement and compaction of soil layers and the subsequent fill-up of the embanked reservoir. In the design of earthen dams, two potentially critical events must be considered: the rapid emptying (or drawdown) of the reservoir and the dynamic loading of an earthquake. The possibility of dam failure in these situations depends on the respective build-up and dissipation of the fluid pore pressure in the soil.
Solution
The soil in an earthen structure can be considered as a three phase continuum consisting of solid particles, a wetting liquid, and a gas. Abaqus provides several material models and a coupled diffusion-displacement analysis procedure for modeling such problems.
 Benefit
With these capabilities, distributions of pore water pressure can be determined for assessing the safety and reliability of earthen dams designs. A preliminary assessment of the likelihood of failure for rapid drawdown conditions used failure criteria developed for earthquake analysis.
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