Study on slope stability of rockfill dams by discrete element mothod (DEM)

Abstract

  The calculation of slope stability of rockfill dams is still limited in studies in Vietnam. Rockfill dams are
being constructed using experience studies or similar constructions. In this paper, we use a discrete
element method DEM to analyze the interactions between the rock elements within the dam body in twodimension. Rock elements are simulated by rigid particles that have a polygonal shape. These rock
elements are not deformed. In this paper, oneonly takes into account the influence of gravity on the dam.
We determined the safety factor of slope and the velocity field by DEM method