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Seismic behavior of a rockfill dam with asphalt-concrete core has been studied utilizing numerical models with material parameters determined by laboratory tests. The case study selected for these analyses, is the Meyjaran asphalt core dam, recently constructed in Northern Iran, with 60 m height and 180 m crest length. The numerical analyses have been performed using a nonlinear three dimensional finite difference software and various hazard levels of earthquakes. This study shows that due to the elasto-plastic characteristics of the asphalt concrete, rockfill dams with asphalt concrete core behave satisfactorily during earthquake loading. The induced shear strains in the asphalt core, for the case presented in this research, are less than 1% during an earthquake with amax=0.25g and the asphalt core remains watertight. Due to large shear deformations caused by a more severe earthquake with amax=0.60g, some cracking may occur towards the top of the core (down to 5-6 m), and the core permeability may increase in the top part, but the dam is safe.

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In the present study a quasi 2-D numerical model is developed for calculating air concentration distribution in rapid flows. The model solves air continuity equation (convection diffusion equation) in the whole flow domain. This solution is then coupled with calculations of the free surface in which air content in the flow is also considered. To verify the model, its results are compared with an analytical solution as well as a 2-D, numerical model and close agreement was achieved. The model results were also compared with experimental data. This comparison showed that the decrease in air concentration near the channel bed in an aerated flow could be well predicted by the model. The present simple numerical model could therefore be used for engineering purposes.

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A finite-difference based continuum numerical model is developed for the pile-soil dynamic response during pile driving. The model is capable of simulating the wave propagation analysis along the pile shaft and through the soil media. The pile-soil media, loading and boundary conditions are such that axisymmetric assumption seems to be an optimized choice to substantially reduce the analysis time and effort. The hydrostatic effect of water is also considered on the effective stresses throughout the soil media and at the pilesoil interface. The developed model is used for signal matching analysis of a well-documented driven pile. The results showed very good agreement with field measurements. It is found that the effect of radiation damping significantly changes the pile-soil stiffness due to the hammer blow. The pile tip response shows substantial increase in soil stiffness below and around the pile tip due to driving efforts.

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The pile-raft foundation is a combination of a raft foundation with piles. Pile-raft foundation has been widely designed, assuming all structure loads to be transferred to piles without considering contribution of the load taken by contact surface between raft and soil. Methods of analysis currently used in practice are based upon relatively conservative assumptions of soil behavior or on the less realistic soil-structure interaction. In this study the bearing -settlement behavior of combined pile-raft foundations on medium dense sand was investigated. 1g physical model test was performed on a circular rigid raft underpinned with four model piles. Numerical simulation was also carried out on the model test, using FLAC-3D, to show compatibility of the numerical analysis with the test. The obtained results showed very good accuracy of the numerical method used in this study as long as the applied load does not exceed the working load, while the performance of numerical model was relatively good for the loads beyond working load.

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In the current study, an effort is made to determine three dimensional bearing capacity of rectangular foundations using Discrete

Element Method. The soil mass is modeled as discrete blocks connected with Winkler springs. Different factors affect the geometry

of failure surface. Six independent angles are used to define the failure surface. By trial and error, the optimum shape of failure

surface beneath the foundation can be found. The paper includes the derivation of the governing equations for this DEM based

formulation in three dimensional state as well as parametric sensitivity analyses and comparison with other methods. Moreover,

using the current method, bearing capacity coefficients are presented for various friction angles and foundation aspect ratios.

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The results of laboratory model tests and numerical analysis on circular footings supported on sand bed under incremental

cyclic loads are presented. The incremental values of intensity of cyclic loads (loading, unloading and reloading) were applied

on the footing to evaluate the response of footing and also to obtain the value of elastic rebound of the footing corresponding

to each cycle of load. The effect of sand relative density of 42%, 62%, and 72% and different circular footing area of 25, 50,

and 100cm2 were investigated on the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand (CEUC). The results show that

the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand was increased by increasing the sand relative density while with

increase the footing area the value of coefficient of elastic uniform compression of sand was decreases. The responses of footing

and the quantitative variations of CEUC with footing area and soil relative density obtained from experimental results show a

good consistency with the obtained numerical result using “FLAC-3D”.

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In the first impounding of rockfill dams, additional settlements occur in upstream side in saturated rockfills due to collapse
phenomenon even high rainy seasons can cause additional deformation in the dumped rockfills. Unfortunately these
displacements are not taken into account in the conventional numerical models which are currently used to predict embankment
dam behavior during impounding. In this paper to estimate these displacements, strain hardening-strain softening model in Flac
is modified based on the laboratory tests, in which same impounding process in such dams is considered. Main feature of the
model is reproduction of nonlinear behavior of rockfill material via mobilized shear strength parameters and using collapse
coefficient to display induced settlement due to inundation. This mobilization of shear strength parameters associated with some
functions for dilatancy behavior of rockfill are used in a finite difference code for both dry and wet condition of material. Collapse
coefficient is defined as a stress dependent function to show stress release in the material owing to saturation. To demonstrate
how the model works, simulation of some large scale triaxial tests of rockfill material in Gotvand embankment dam is presented
and results are compared with those from laboratory tests, which are in good agreement. The technique could be used with any
suitable constitutive law in other coarse-grained material to identify collapse settlements due to saturation

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This paper presents results of a thorough study on the phenomenon of rupture propagation of reverse faults from the bedrock

foundation through homogeneous clayey embankments, mainly at the end of construction, with complementary analyses for the

steady state seepage through the embankment. The study is performed by means of numerical analyses with a nonlinear Finite

Element Method, verified beforehand through simulating fault propagations in an existing horizontal soil layer experiment.

Multiple cases considering three slopes & three clayey soils for the embankment and five fault dip angles, activated in several

locations of base of the embankment, are analyzed. The results show that ruptures in the embankment follow optimal paths to

reach the surface and their near-surface directions are predictable with respect to corresponding theories of classical soil

mechanics. Various types of rupture in the embankment are produced on the basis of the rupture types, the embankment base is

divided into three distinguishable zones, which can be used for interpretation of fault ruptures behavior. The effects of materials

and slope of the embankment, fault dip angle, and fault’s point of application in the bedrock-soil interface on the rupture paths

are studied in depth.

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The dynamic mechanical behaviour of a stone block masonry cupola composed of non-convex discrete elements is studied. This cupola is designed in innovative and modern ways and was recently constructed in southern France. The necessity for an accurate numerical study to take into account the real geometry of each non-convex block is presented. Different results, concerning the stability of the masonry structure, or its mechanical behaviour during a simulated collapsing state, are given for several sets of parameters describing the contact condition between the blocks, or the blocks and the structure foundations, under various seismic loads.

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Dividing open channels are varied types of open channel structures used to provide water for irrigation channels, agriculture and wastewater networks. In the present study the mean velocity is calculated in different dividing angles within the branches channel through the use of artificial Neural Network (ANN) and coputational fluid dynamices (CFD) models. First the ANSYS-CFX model is used to simulate the flow pattern within the branch with a 90° angle. The results of the CFX model correspond fairly well to the results of the experimental model with Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 5%. After verifying, two CFX model are generated in 30° and 60° angle in different width ratios of 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.2, and 1.4, and the mean velocities are obtained by flowmeter. Following that ANN model trained and tested through the use of a set of experimental and CFX datas. The comparison showed that the ANN model has an acceptable level of accuracy in predicting the dividing open channel mean flow velocity with mean value R2 of 0.93. Comparing the results indicated that ANN model with the MAPE of 1.8% performs better in 0.8 m width ratio. Also, in this width ratio the MAPE are equal to 1.58, 1.87, and 2.04 % in 30°, 60°, and 90° deviation angles respectively and therefore the model performs better in 30° angle.

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This study presents methods for numerical modelling and the static computer analysis of steel decks fixed on scaffoldings. The main problem raised here is the method of creating models of a single deck and determination of the accuracy of every model for various design situations: the analysis of state stress in components of decks, the strength analysis of scaffolding where decks can be loaded by untypical the arrangement of materials and the strength analysis of full scaffoldings. The analysis of a state stress in components of a deck requires a detailed model. The analyses of scaffoldings with load by materials have to be performed with using more simple models of platforms. The static-strength analysis of full scaffoldings with many frame elements can be performed if the simplest models of decks are used. In this paper the sets of truss elements replace the stiffness of scaffolding decks.