Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: After reservoir impoundment, water infiltration weakens rock strength and accelerates creep deformation. Existing models seldom capture both strength degradation and creep behavior under prolonged saturation. This study develops a coupled hydro-mechanical creep model that integrates saturation-dependent elastic modulus reduction, cohesion decay with pore pressure, and a nonlinear creep law modified by a Heaviside function. Simulation of rock deformation during water infiltration reveals that water–creep coupling increases steady-state deformation by over 50% compared to strength degradation alone. A case study of a high arch dam reservoir slope demonstrates that models incorporating both water-weakening and creep effects predict significantly larger deformations than those ignoring these mechanisms. The model provides a practical tool for predicting long-term deformation in reservoir slopes under water–rock interaction.
Source: Water
DOI: 10.3390/w17202983
Authors: Lixiang Liu, Sai Fu, Xianlin Jia, Xibin Li, Linfei Zhang
Language: English
Topic: Rock Mechanics and Modeling
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W4415263659