Design and performance of the Quxue asphalt-core rockfill dam

Abstract

The design and performance of the 174-m high Quxue asphalt-core rockfill dam in Sichuan Province, China, are presented. An extensive field monitoring program was implemented. During construction, the asphalt core settled more than the adjacent transition zones, but no more than 20 mm due to strong interlocking with the coarser gravel particles in the transition zones. The lateral displacements of the core were recorded during the impoundment. The measured shear displacements were less than 10 mm between the core and the plinth along the steep abutments (about 70°), and the interface remained watertight. The dam was constructed in about one year, and the reservoir impoundment up to about 100 m height was done in two months. The performance monitoring documents that the asphalt core type of dam is suitable for high embankment dams even in narrow valleys with steep abutments. The core exhibits flexible and ductile behavior without cracking, and internal core erosion is not an issue of concern.