1365

Design and performance of the Yele asphalt-core

rockfill dam
Weibiao Wang, Kaare Höeg, and Yingbo Zhang

Abstract: The planning, design, and performance of the Yele asphalt-core rockfill dam in Sichuan Province, China, are
presented. The dam has a maximum height of 124.5 m, is located in a very seismic region with inclement climate, and is
founded on a geologically complex foundation, partly resting on a deep and pervious alluvial overburden and partly on
bedrock. With these site conditions only an embankment-type dam was considered feasible, and three different options
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were considered for the design of the impervious barrier: (i) earth core, (ii) concrete facing, and (iii) asphalt core. The
third option was chosen. The design is based on extensive analyses and laboratory tests, and a special model test was per-
formed to study the behavior of the connection between the narrow asphalt core and concrete plinth. An impoundment test
was performed when the dam was 73 m high to test the imperviousness of the constructed core and the connections be-
tween (i) the core and plinth and (ii) the plinth and foundation cut-off wall. An extensive field monitoring program was
implemented. Design predictions are compared with field performance observations of the core and its interaction with the
adjacent transition zones.
Key words: embankment dam, asphalt core, laboratory tests, finite element analyses, dam deformations, field monitoring.
Résumé : La planification, la conception et la performance du barrage de Yele dans la province de Sichuan en Chine sont
présentées dans cet article. Le barrage en remblai rocheux de Yele, avec noyau bitumineux et une hauteur maximum de
124,5 m, est localisé dans une région de très haute sismicité et sous un climat inclément. Le barrage est porté sur une fon-
dation géologiquement complexe, en partie sur une couche épaisse et perméable d’alluvions et en partie sur du roc. Sous
For personal use only.

ces conditions, la seule alternative faisable était un barrage en remblai. Trois options ont été considérées pour la concep-
tion de la barrière imperméable : (i) un noyau en terre, (ii) un revêtement de béton et (iii) un noyau bitumineux. Cette der-
nière solution a été retenue. Le dimensionnement est basé sur de nombreuses analyses et essais en laboratoire, ainsi que
sure une modélisation expérimentale particulière du comportement de l’interface entre le mince noyau central et la plinthe
de béton. Un essai de mise en eau a été fait quand le barrage a atteint une hauteur de 73 m afin de tester l’imperméabilité
du noyau bitumineux, et les interfaces noyau–plinthe et plinthe–mur de fondation. Un programme extensif d’observations
a aussi été adopté. Les prédictions faites lors de la conception sont comparées avec le comportement in situ du noyau et
de ses interactions avec les zones de transition adjacentes.
Mots-clés : barrage en remblai, noyau bitumineux, essais de laboratoire, éléments finis, barrage, observations in situ.

Introduction
The first embankment dam with a compacted asphalt con-
crete core was built in Germany in 1961–1962, and The In-
ternational Journal on Hydropower & Dams (Saxegaard
2010) provides a listing of asphalt-core dams that have been
built or are under construction in different countries. The In-
ternational Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and others
have summarized the experience with the design, construc-
tion, and performance of this type of dam (e.g., ICOLD
1992; Höeg 1993; Creegan and Monismith 1996; Schönian
1999; Höeg et al. 2007; Wang 2008).
Most asphalt-core dams have been built in Europe, but
China has also built and is currently building several dams
of this type, among them the 170 m high Quxue Dam that
Received 11 May 2009. Accepted 22 March 2010. Published on
the NRC Research Press Web site at cgj.nrc.ca on 16 November
2010.
W. Wang1 and Y. Zhang. Xi’an University of Technology, 5
Jinhua South Road, 710048 Xi’an, China.
K. Höeg. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box
3930 Ullevaal Stadion, NO-0806, Oslo, Norway.
1Corresponding author (e-mail: wangweibiao59@hotmail.com).
will be the highest so far. Spain, Saudi-Arabia, and Iran re-
cently built their first such dams. Canada just completed an
asphalt-core dam, the first of its kind in North America (Ali-
cescu et al. 2008), and Hydro Québec has decided to con-
struct several more embankment dams of this type in the
Province of Quebec (La Romaine project). Brazil is cur-
rently completing its first asphalt-core dam (Foz de Cha-
peco), and several dams of this type are being considered
for a very large hydropower development in the Amazon re-
gion.
This paper presents the design and performance of the
Yele asphalt-core rockfill dam in China, describes the chal-
lenging site conditions and the studies performed to ensure
the quality of the asphalt core and its connection with the
concrete plinth, and evaluates the performance of the core
based on field monitoring. Construction started in April
2001 and was completed in December 2005.
Yele Dam site conditions
The Yele hydro project, on the very upper reach of the
Nanya River in the southwest of Sichuan Province, is one
of six projects in a cascade development for electricity gen-
eration. The river is 49.5 km long with a hydraulic drop of

Can. Geotech. J. 47: 1365–1381 (2010) doi:10.1139/T10-028 Published by NRC Research Press
 1366
1714 m and an exploitable hydropower potential estimated
to be 700 MW. The topography of the Yele basin is well
suited for building a reservoir with a catchment of 323 km2.
The annual mean river flow is 14.5 m3/s, which is composed
mainly of rainfall, snowmelt, and groundwater. The river ba-
sin planning includes a Yele balancing reservoir for year-
over-year storage and the following power stations: Yele
(installed capacity of 240 MW), Liziping (120 MW), Yao-
heba (123 MW), Nanguaqiao (120 MW), Ximagu (42 MW),
and Daduhebian (60 MW). Therefore, the Yele reservoir
will play a very important role in the Nanya River cascade
development.
At Yele the winter season is 6 to 7 months long and the
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rainy season is from May to October. Annually there are
about 215 rainy days with a mean rainfall of 1830 mm and
air relative humidity of 86%. The annual mean temperature
is 7 8C, ranging from –20 to +28 8C.
Figure 1 shows the geological conditions along the longi-
tudinal section of the dam (Yu 2004; Hao and He 2008).
The deep overburden from the bottom to the top may be
classified into the following five groups:
(1) Q21I and Q22I — gravel with thin silty sand layers.
(2) Q31II — overconsolidated and stiff cohesive soil contain-
ing a significant amount of stones, but with low perme-
ability; thickness of 31–46 m.
(3) Q32–1III — gravel with layers of loam; thickness of 46–
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154 m.
(4) Q32–2IV — gravel; thickness of 65–85 m.
(5) Q32–3V — sandy silt layers with carbonized plant frag-
ments; thickness of 90–107 m.
On the left bank, under the 35–60 m overburden, there is
fractured and jointed quartz diorite bedrock as shown in
Fig. 1. The overburden is 55–160 m deep under the bottom
of the valley and more than 220 m deep on the right bank.
Dam type selection and design
For the difficult geological foundation conditions with an
irregular and compressible overburden and with the high re-
gional seismicity, only an embankment-type dam was con-
sidered feasible. Three options were examined for the
impervious barrier in a rockfill dam: (i) earth core (ECRD),
(ii) upstream concrete facing (CFRD), and (iii) asphalt core
(ACRD). To decide among these options, emphasis was
placed on costs, sensitivity to severe weather conditions dur-
ing construction, earthquake resistance, and compatibility
with the geological conditions that may cause significant
differential settlements across the valley.
Höeg et al. (2007) provides a general discussion of the
relative merits of the three options. In the rainy and cold
Yele area at high altitude (crest elevation (el.) 2654.5 metres
above sea level (m.asl.)), the water content of the earth core
material in the local borrow was 10% more than that re-
quired for optimum compaction. It would be difficult and
time-consuming to reduce the water content, and core place-
ment would have to be stopped during the frequent rainy pe-
riods. For the CFRD option, the concrete slabs would be
placed after the upstream slope was completed, and it was
2 See Appendix A.
3 See Appendix B.
Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010
considered difficult to protect the upstream slope from dam-
age by sudden heavy rains during the dam construction pe-
riod. Furthermore, the impounding could not commence
until the dam with a concrete face was completed. This was
a disadvantage at the Yele site, where the reservoir would
take a long time to fill as the rate of annual river flow is
low. The core for an ACRD may be constructed during peri-
ods of rain and cold weather. During heavy rains, the as-
phalt mix is stored in hot silos. When the heavy rain stops,
the asphalt-core construction can be restarted immediately
after cleaning and heating the asphalt surface, without the
long delay associated with the earth core. An infrared heater
is mounted in the front of the core paver.
The CFRD requires a longer concrete plinth than the
ACRD, and if large differential settlements occur, leakage
may develop in the joints between the slabs and in perimeter
joints due to rupture of water stops. At the Yele site, such
settlements could be caused by the nonuniform geological
foundation conditions and severe earthquakes, which may
cause large in-plane stresses in the concrete face. On the
other hand, the ACRD with a central asphalt concrete core,
if properly designed, is considered sufficiently flexible and
ductile to be able to accommodate differential settlements
without cracking.
For the site and environmental conditions at Yele, the
ECRD was estimated to cost approximately 10% more than
the ACRD, while the CFRD was estimated to cost around
10% less than the ACRD. Among the three options, all as-
pects considered, the ACRD was selected as the most suit-
able (Hao and He 2003).
At the start of the preliminary design of the Yele Dam in
1990, there were only a few asphalt-core dams of similar
height: the High Island West and East Dams in Hong Kong
(95 and 105 m, respectively), the Finstertal dam in Austria
(150 m, but with a core height of only 96 m due to a rock
ridge under the core), and the Storvatn Dam in Norway
(90 m). In 1990 the Storglomvatn Dam (125 m high) in Nor-
way was in the final design stage (construction was com-
pleted in 1997) long before the start of construction of the
Yele Dam (Höeg et al. 2007). However, the Yele Dam was
to be designed and built for a site with much more complex
foundation conditions than any of the previous dams and is
located in a region with much higher seismicity.
Figure 2 shows the maximum area cross section of the
Yele Dam. The asphalt core in that cross section is 120 m
high and the total dam height 124.5 m. Figure 3 shows a
plan view of the dam with the locations of cross-sections
A–G shown, and Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section giving
the locations of the same cross sections. As designed, the
Yele asphalt-core rockfill dam has a crest length of 411 m
with a 300 m long seepage cut-off wall extension over the
right bank. Due to the very high seismicity of the region (Si-
chuan Province) with an assumed peak horizontal ground
acceleration of 0.45g2 at the Yele site, the dam is designed
with gentle slopes of 1V:2H upstream (where V represents
vertical and H represent horizontal) and 1V:2.2H
downstream, and a wide crest (14 m). In addition, as an
earthquake-resistant measure, geo-grids3 were placed hori-
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 Wang et al. 1367

Fig. 1. Geological cross section of the Yele Dam foundation and abutments. 1, gravel with silty sand layers; 2, stiff, overconsolidated co-
hesive soils with stones; 3, gravel with layers of loam; 4, gravel; 5, sandy soil with loam and carbonized plant fragments; 6, quartz diorite
bedrock; 7, crevice–lineament. W.L., water level.
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Fig. 2. Cross section of the Yele Dam (this is section D as shown in Figs. 3 and 4). All dimensions in metres. 1, asphalt core; 2, transition
zone; 3, rockfill (I); 4, rockfill (II); 5, natural gravel or rockfill (III); 6, toe berm (22 m in thickness and 215 m in length); 7, observation
gallery for field instrumentation; 8, concrete cut-off wall. (There is no grout curtain under section D, see Fig. 5.)

zontally to reinforce the top 30 m of the dam (from el.
2624.5 m.asl. to the dam crest at el. 2654.5 m.asl.). Within
the upper 20 m, the vertical height difference between the
geo-grids is 1 m and within the lower 10 m is 2 m. Further-
more, to strengthen the lower part of the upstream dam
slope against large deformations and potential sliding during
an earthquake, 40 m long geo-grids were placed horizontally
from the upstream dam face between el. 2594 m.asl. and el.
2603 m.asl. The vertical height difference between these
geo-grids is 1.5 m.
Design and construction of impervious
barriers in the Yele dam foundation
Figure 5 shows the complex system of impervious barriers
installed in the foundation to reduce and control the under-
seepage. The foundation barriers may be divided into three
main sections from the left to the right bank: left bank bar-
rier section, river bed barrier section, and right bank barrier
section. After excavating the top of the overburden at the
left bank, a 20–60 m deep concrete cut-off wall was con-
structed through the overburden, down to the sloping diorite
bedrock. A grout curtain was injected into the quartz diorite
through the concrete cut-off wall. A 150 m long and 80 m
deep grout curtain was injected into the quartz diorite from
the construction gallery (No. 7 shown on the left side of
Fig. 5). For the river bed overburden, a 30–60 m deep con-
crete cut-off wall was brought 5 m down into the relatively
impervious soil layer Q31II shown in Fig. 1. For the right
bank, the overburden is so deep that the water barriers had
to be built in four stages. The upper first barrier is the 15 m
high concrete wall extension built in the open excavation;

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 1368 Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010

Fig. 3. Plan view of Yele Dam and location of monitoring instruments. 1, displacement bolts; 2, observation gallery; 3, piezometers; 4,
access galleries; 5, drainage gallery; 6, grouting gallery; 7, observation huts. Locations of cross-sections A–G are also shown in Fig. 4.
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Fig. 4. Longitudinal section of the asphalt core for Yele Dam showing locations of cross-sections A–G (see also Fig. 3).

the second barrier is the concrete cut-off wall with a depth
of 70 m down to the top of the second level construction
gallery; the third is the 60–84 m deep concrete cut-off wall
installed from the second level construction gallery, and the
fourth is the grout curtain with a maximum depth of 120 m
installed through the concrete cut-off wall. For more details
about the very complex system of cut-off walls and grout
curtains, an extremely demanding task, refer to Chen (2003)
and Hao and He (2008).
Asphalt-core design investigations
After the asphalt-core option was selected in the early de-
sign stage, a special test program was prepared to study the
following aspects in more detail (Sun and Wang 1994):
(1) Suitability of aggregates of local quartz diorite and local
natural sands.
(2) Optimum asphalt mix design with the available aggre-
gates, filler materials, and bitumen grade.
(3) Triaxial compression stress–strain–strength behaviour of
alternative mix designs.
(4) Testing of tensile, bending, and creep behavior of the as-
phalt mix.
(5) Resistance of asphalt concrete to cyclic loading simulat-
ing earthquake shaking.
The quartz diorite quarry is located 3 km downstream of
the dam site nearby an access road, while a dolomite quarry
is located in the reservoir area 16 km upstream of the dam
site. A special access road would have to be built to use the

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 Wang et al.
Fig. 5. Water barriers in the Yele Dam foundation. All dimensions in metres. 1, crest; 2, asphalt core; 3, ground surface; 4, excavation line;
5, concrete cut-off wall; 6, grout curtain; 7, construction gallery used for construction of grout curtain and concrete cut-off wall; 8, concrete
cut-off wall extension built in the open excavation.
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dolomite quarry. Dolomite is alkaline and has very good ad-
hesion to bitumen (grade 5, Chinese boiling test, standard
DL/T 5362-2006 (People’s Republic of China National De-
velopment and Reform Commission 2006)). It is considered
to be very suitable as an aggregate in asphalt concrete.
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Quartz diorite is slightly acidic and therefore has weaker ad-
hesion to bitumen (grade 4). However, as shown by Wang et
al. (2010), for hydraulic asphalt concrete with air poros-
ity <3%, somewhat poorer aggregate–bitumen adhesion has
no significant effects on the stress–strain–strength behaviour
and weathering resistance. Therefore, aggregates from the
quartz diorite quarry were considered satisfactory, and this
was a much more economical solution.
Hydraulic asphalt to be used in a dam core should be vir-
tually impervious, flexible, and workable. The aggregate
composition complies with Fuller’s gradation curve im-
proved with a fine grain component smaller than 0.075 mm
(filler material) (Höeg 1993). To ensure very low permeabil-
ity (about 10–11 m/s), the air porosity in the dam core should
be less than 3% (Höeg 1993; Wang and Höeg 2009). Triax-
ial compression tests should be carried out under different
confining stresses to assure that the asphalt concrete exhibits
flexible and ductile (not strain-softening) behaviour required
to adjust to dam deformations caused by static and dynamic
loads and differential foundation settlements. For the Yele
Dam asphalt core, the bitumen content (type AH-70 in Chi-
nese standard DL/T 5411-2009 (People’s Republic of China
National Energy Administration 2009)) is 6.3% by total
weight and the filler content is 12%. About 30% of the fine
aggregates (2.36–0.075 mm) consist of natural sands
(rounded particles) to improve the workability of the asphalt
concrete.
Many of the details of these experimental studies and test
results are reported by Wang (2008), who investigated the
permeability of asphalt concrete as a function of imposed
shear strains. Two-and three-dimensional finite element
analyses to study stresses, strains, and deformations in dif-
ferent embankment zones were also performed.4
4 See Appendix C.
1369
An additional test program was undertaken to focus on
the effects of shear displacements causing possible leakage
at the joint between the asphalt core and the concrete plinth
(Wang and Sun 1997, 1999). Special attention was given to
the mix proportions of the sandy asphalt mastic placed on
the core–plinth interface.
Figure 6 shows the design of the critical asphalt core–
plinth connection and the top of the concrete cut-off wall in
the foundation. A model (1:10 scale) was built to test the
core–plinth interface when it was subjected to shear dis-
placements in the downstream direction and high water pres-
sure (Fig. 7). The asphalt core in the model was 240 mm
wide at the bottom, 120 mm wide at the top, and 330 mm
in height. The asphalt mastic layer between the core and the
concrete slab was 20 mm thick. The mastic mix consisted of
bitumen type AH-70, limestone filler, and river sand in the
proportions 1:2:1, respectively. The core–plinth connection
model tests were run at a temperature of 7 8C.
As shown in Fig. 7, the water pressure at the interface be-
tween the asphalt concrete core and the concrete plinth was
kept at 0.3 MPa (i.e., 30 m of head) during most of the test.
The vertical stress at the base of the asphalt core in the Yele
Dam design was computed by finite element analyses to be
1.65 MPa. The vertical stress applied in the model was in-
creased gradually up to 1.65 MPa within 30 min. Then the
concrete slab (plinth) was pushed horizontally. The shear
stress required to make the slab move relative to the base of
the core was 0.6 MPa, and the slab displacement rate was
then kept at 0.1 mm/min. The resulting shear stress on the
mastic layer was increased from 0.6 to 1.35 MPa during the
shearing process. After 200 min of testing, the vertical dis-
placement of the core and horizontal displacement at the in-
terface were 17.4 and 20.5 mm, respectively. No leakage
was detected even when the water pressure was increased
from 0.3 to 1.0 MPa at the end of the test. The slab was
then pushed at 1 mm/min to reach a shear displacement of
22 mm, i.e., 9% of the core thickness. This was the maxi-
mum shear displacement the model allowed. No leakage
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 1370
Fig. 6. Structural connection between the asphalt core and concrete
plinth (all dimensions in metres; left side of figure is upstream,
right is downstream). 1, asphalt core; 2, transition zone; 3, 1–2 cm
thick sandy asphalt mastic; 4, geo-membrane covering foundation
to upstream dam toe; 5, silt; 6, filter and drainage layer; 7, concrete
cut-off wall; 8, reinforced concrete plinth; 9, foundation overbur-
den.
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was detected during the model testing desspite the large im-
posed shear strains. The vertical stress, shear stress, vertical
displacement, and shear displacement versus time for the
model test are shown in Fig. 7. When the model was re-
moved from the testing apparatus, some of the mastic was
discovered to have extruded, and the mastic layer thickness
had reduced to 12 mm from the initial 20 mm. However, no
cracks or fissures were detected at the core–plinth interface
(Chu et al. 2004). The test results showed that the behavior
at the interface was satisfactory even for shear distortions
much larger than anticipated in the field.
Dam construction and simultaneous
reservoir impounding
The vertical core wall, located 3.7 m upstream of the dam
centerline, was designed to be 1.20 m wide at the bottom
and decreasing gradually to 0.60 m at the top (el.
2653 m.asl.). The base of the core is flared out against the
plinth to a width of 2.40 m at the core–plinth interface. Sim-
ilarly, the core is flared out against the plinth at the abut-
ments to twice the core width at that elevation.
Although before the year 2000 more than 10 asphalt-core
Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010
dams had been completed in China, most of them were
small and the cores had been constructed manually or with
simple and improvised equipment. There was a lack of ex-
pertise and available modern equipment to build large as-
phalt-core dams. However, at the time, the asphalt core for
the Maopingxi Dam (part of the Three Gorges Project) with
a height of 105 m was under construction using a modern
asphalt-core paver purchased from the Norwegian contractor
Kolo Veidekke a.s.
The Yele asphalt-core construction presented a special
challenge because of the cold and rainy weather and a very
tight construction schedule. A Chinese asphalt paver was
built and construction procedures were developed for plac-
ing the asphalt core during the night and at air temperatures
down to –5 8C. The design of the asphalt-core paver was
made very similar to the Norwegian one used for placing
the Maopingxi Dam asphalt core (Höeg 1993). Several job
trials were undertaken before asphalt-core construction
started. The asphalt-core paver places simultaneously the as-
phalt core and the adjacent supporting transition zones. The
total width that could be placed by the new paver was
3.8 m; thus, the transition zones on either side of the core
were each 1.3 m wide at the bottom and 1.6 m wide at the
top. The core and adjacent transition zones were built up
and compacted in 26 cm thick layers (compacted thickness).
During dam construction, the core top elevation was at all
times above that of the embankment rockfill and did not
slow down the rapid construction progress. The Yele as-
phalt-core construction was started in November 2003 and
was completed in November 2005. Systematic quality con-
trol of the asphalt core was carried out throughout the con-
struction period to ensure that the air porosity of the asphalt
concrete in place was less than the specified 3%, which
gives a virtually impervious core (Höeg 1993). Zones, com-
paction specifications, and quality control for the Yele Dam
are shown in Table 1.
Figure 8 shows the progress of dam construction and im-
pounding until October 2007, and the operation until No-
vember 2008 is shown in the first figure in the section titled
‘‘Field performance observations of the asphalt core’’. The
Yele Dam embankment construction started in April 2001
and in December 2004 the dam reached el. 2603 m.asl.,
which is 51.5 m below the crest of the dam (el.
2654.5 m.asl.). In January 2005 a special impounding test
was started. At that time the water level was at el.
2552 m.asl. behind the upstream cofferdam, as shown in
Fig. 8. After one month of impounding, the water level was
raised 35.5 m (to el. 2587 m.asl.). Then the water was low-
ered to its original level at el. 2552 m.asl. Observations were
made of the pore-water pressures on the downstream side of
the core, of the deformations of the core, and of the strains in
the concrete plinth and cut-off wall during the raising and
lowering of the reservoir while the embankment height was
kept constant at el. 2603 m.asl. The pore-water pressures on
the downstream side of the core wall were measured to be
close to zero during the impounding test, and the deforma-
tions of the asphalt core and the strains in the concrete plinth
and cut-off wall were very small (see later discussion of per-
formance observations). On 9 March 2005 the reservoir
water level was raised again and reached el. 2634 m.asl. on
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 Wang et al.
Fig. 7. Model test to study behaviour of core–plinth interface when subjected to interface shear displacement and high water pressure.
(a) Model of the asphalt core–plinth connection. (b) Measured stresses and displacements versus time for the 1:10 scale model of the asphalt
core–plinth connection. Disp., displacement.
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26 October 2005. The embankment reached the crest eleva-
tion 2654.5 m.asl. in December 2005.
During operation and power generation the first year, the
water level dropped to el. 2600 m.asl., but rose again to el.
2642.5 m.asl. by 12 December 2006 (see Fig. 8). On 23
April 2007 the water level had dropped to el. 2609 m.asl.,
but on 23 October 2007 it rose again to el. 2648 m.asl.,
which is 2 m below full supply water level at el.
2650 m.asl. During construction, impounding and operation
of the dam was monitored by means of a comprehensive in-
strumentation system as described below.
Dam monitoring and performance
observations
The monitoring system consists of measuring dam body
1371
deformations, seepage through the core, foundation and
abutments, water pressures in the abutments and foundation,
stresses and strains in the asphalt core, in the concrete plinth
and in the cut-off wall, temperatures inside the core, and ac-
celerations during any earthquake shaking (Chen 2003;
NRBHDC 2007; Chen et al. 2009).
Measured dam surface displacements during and after
construction
Figure 3 shows the arrangement of displacement observa-
tion bolts on the dam surface. The 99 bolts are installed
along seven longitudinal lines, one on the upstream slope,
two on the dam crest, one on the top of core, and three on
the downstream slope. The horizontal distance between bolts
is 50 m, corresponding to cross-sections B, C, D, E, and F
shown on Figs. 3 and 4. The geodetic surveys for displace-
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 1372
Table 1. Zoning, compaction specifications and quality control for Yele Dam (standards SL274-2001 (The Ministry of Water Resources of
the People’s Republic of China 2002) and DL/T 5411-2009 (People’s Republic of China National Energy Administration 2009)).
Zone (see Fig. 2) Material
Asphalt core Bitumen AH-70, aggregate (0–20 mm)
Transition zone A Gravel (0–80 mm, grain size < 5 mm passing 20%–
1.3–1.6 m 40%; grain size < 0.075 mm passing ⬉ 10%
Transition zone B Gravel (0–150 mm, grain size < 5 mm passing
2.0–4.0 m 10%–20%; grain size < 0.075 mm passing ⬉ 3%
Shoulder (I) Quarried rock (0–800 mm)
Shoulder (II) Quarried rock (0–800 mm)
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Shoulder (III) Natural gravel or quarried rock (0–800 mm)
Toe berm Rock debris (0–1200 mm)
Fig. 8. Progress of dam construction and reservoir impounding.
(Note: the reservoir was held back by the upstream cofferdam be-
fore the impounding test started at el. 2552 m.asl.)
For personal use only.
ment monitoring used six fixed benchmarks in the vicinity
of the dam.
Only a few of the dam surface deformation measurements
will be discussed, as in this paper the focus is on the behav-
iour of the asphalt core and its interaction with the transition
zones. As an example, the movements of the bolts on the up-
stream berm at el. 2620 m. asl., a distance of 79 m from the
vertical dam axis, are shown in Table 2. The settlements have
been measured since 25 July 2005 when the dam rockfill was
at el.2627.8 m.asl. After placement of additional rockfill
(26.7 m) to the top of the embankment, and after reservoir
raising and lowering during the construction and operation
(see Fig. 8), the settlements of the bolts along this berm on
10 September 2005 and 9 May 2007 are as shown in Table 2.
Over the almost 2 year observation period, the measure-
ments in Table 1 seem very consistent with the largest set-
tlement of 82 mm at the maximum section D. On the left
bank, the reduction in effective stresses due to impounding
caused the berm to heave 9 mm. On the right bank with the
deep overburden, the reduction of the effective stresses due
to impounding caused the berm to heave 25 mm.
Figure 9 shows the settlements of the bolts on the down-
stream berms at el. 2594.5 m.asl. and el. 2624.5 m.asl. at the
end of September 2007 (20 months after end of construc-
Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010
Layer Compaction by
thickness (m) vibratory roller Quality control
0.20–0.26 8 passes, 1.5 t Air porosity < 3.0%
0.20–0.26 4 passes, 2 t Dry density ‡ 20.6 kN/m3,
porosity ⬉ 20%
0.20–0.26 4 passes, 2 t Porosity ⬉ 22%
1.0–1.2 8 passes, 20 t Dry density ‡ 21.9 kN/m3,
porosity ⬉ 24%
1.0–1.2 8 passes, 20 t Dry density ‡ 22.5 kN/m3,
porosity ⬉ 22%
1.0–1.2 8 passes, 20 t Dry density ‡ 21.1 kN/m3,
porosity ⬉ 22% (upstream),
24% (downstream)
1.0–1.2 8 passes, 20 t Dry density ‡ 19.6 kN/m3
tion). The maximum settlement (combination of construction
and post-construction settlements) is 60 mm between cross-
sections D and E. It should be noted that the bolt displace-
ments at the lower berm have been measured since 12 No-
vember 2005 (when installed) and at the higher berm since
15 February 2006.
Post-construction displacement observations at the top of
the core (3.7 m upstream of the dam centerline), upstream
crown points, and downstream crown points were started on
21 June 2006. Unfortunately, this is 0.5 years after the end
of dam construction, so the post-construction displacements
during the first months are not included. The post-construction
displacements recorded on 27 September 2007 are shown
in Fig. 10. The maximum post-construction settlement is
measured to be 45 mm at the upstream crown point in
cross-section E. However, the settlement may actually
have been almost twice that if one were to include the
post-construction settlements during the first 0.5 years after
the end of construction.
During the post-construction observation period until Oc-
tober 2007, the dam had experienced two cycles of water
level rising and lowering of around 40 m (Fig. 8). As shown
in Fig. 10a, the core crest settlement is 40 mm at section D.
The settlement is slightly more at the upstream crown point
and slightly more near the right bank than near the left bank.
The downstream crown point shows about 10 mm less set-
tlement than the core. The post-construction horizontal dis-
placements of the crown points and top of core are shown
in Fig. 10b. The downstream crown points show more dis-
placement than the upstream crown point and the top of the
core. The maximum is about 27 mm in cross-section D. The
downstream crown point shows less post-construction settle-
ment, but more downstream displacement than the upstream
crown point, which agrees with the observations from many
other central core rockfill dams (Höeg et al. 2007). This is
due to the effects of impounding on the behaviour of the up-
stream fill.
Up until January 2009, the dam had experienced three
cycles of water level rising and lowering, and the dam had
been subjected to 10 earthquakes of various magnitudes
(Chen et al. 2009; Zhao et al. 2009). The maximum post-
construction settlement occurred at the upstream point of the
crest at section D (maximum cross section of the dam), and
the value was about 14 cm in June 2008. For comparison,
Published by NRC Research Press
 Wang et al. 1373

Table 2. Settlement (settlm.) of bolts on the upstream berm at el.2620 m.asl.

Distance (in m) from dam crest on left bank, el.2654.5 m.asl.

100* 120 (B) 170 (C) 220 (D) 270 (E) 320 (F) 343*
Water level Embankment Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm.
Date (m.asl.) level (m.asl.) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
25 Jul 2005 2584.5 2627.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Sep 2005 2619.3 2637.8 –4 1 23 35 25 6 –14
9 May 2007 2610.1 2654.5 –9 16 52 82 61 33 –25
Note: B, C, D, E, and F refer to section locations shown on Figs. 3 and 4.
*Points located over the left and right banks just inside the embankment.
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Fig. 9. Settlement of bolts on the downstream slope. (Observation
periods: el. 2594.5 m.asl., 12 November 2005 – 30 September
2007; el. 2624.5 m.asl., 15 February 2006 – 29 September 2007.)
For personal use only.
Fig. 10. Post-construction settlement and horizontal displacement of
crown and top of core. (a) Post-construction settlement at the top of
the core and the upstream and downstream points on the crown.
(b) Post-construction horizontal displacement in the downstream
direction at the top of the core and the upstream and downstream
points on the crown. (Measurements started 0.5 years after the end
of dam construction.)

the settlement of the upstream point of the crest for the Stor-
glomvatn asphalt-core rockfill dam, also 125 m high, was
18 cm after the first 2 years of operation (Höeg et al. 2007).
Table 3 shows the settlements of the upstream points of
the crest before and after the Wenchuan earthquake, 12
May 2008. When the Wenchuan earthquake struck, the Yele
reservoir level was near the minimum operating level el.
2600 m.asl. The maximum additional crest settlement during
the earthquake was about 15 mm at section D. The Yele
Dam site is located 258 km from the epicenter of the Wen-
chuan earthquake (magnitude 8.0) and the intensity (Chinese
scale) at the dam site was less than VI (Chen et al. 2009;
Zhao et al. 2009). According to the monitored accelerations
from nine strong-motion seismographs installed on and in
the Yele Dam, the calculated maximum settlement, horizon-
tal displacement (downstream direction), and longitudinal
displacement (along dam axis) of the dam crest induced by
the Wenchuan earthquake were 19, 25, and 17 mm, respec-
tively. The several other earthquakes that have occurred
since the end of construction have had insignificant effects
on the dam.
In summary, the dam surface displacements show uniform very well compacted, and that the alluvial overburden in the
and consistent deformation patterns even after having expe- foundation is less compressible than anticipated.
rienced the Wenchuan earthquake, and the observed settle-
ments are smaller than expected. This must mean that the Measured deformations inside the dam
rockfill and gravel are of high quality, the embankment was Five observation huts on the dam crest and five on the

Published by NRC Research Press

 1374 Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010

Table 3. Settlements of the upstream points of the crest before and after the Wenchuan earthquake, 12 May 2008.

Distance (in m) from dam crest on left bank el.2654.5 m.asl.

67* 120 (B) 170 (C) 220 (D) 270 (E) 320 (F) 365*
Water level Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm. Settlm.
Date (m.asl.) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
25 Apr 2008 2602.0 31.5 88.3 116.1 128.8 128.2 102.9 56.6
19 May 2008 2603.7 32.6 94.1 123.5 143.4 136.0 114.6 58.2
*Points located over the left and right banks outside the embankment.

berms on the downstream slope were constructed (see Fig. 11. Settlement inside the transition zone behind the core at
three cross sections. Observation date 3 August 2007.
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Fig. 3). They are used for collecting all the measurements
of displacements inside the dam. The vertical displacements
inside the dam are obtained by water level settlement gages
and the horizontal displacements by extensometer measure-
ments relative to the movements of the bolts on the observa-
tion huts. The reinforced concrete observation gallery inside
the downstream dam body is located 8 m downstream from
the dam axis. The base slab is at el. 2560 m.asl., 30 m above
the dam plinth, which ensures that it is well above the line
of saturation (see Figs. 2 and 3). The gallery is used to col-
lect measurements of pore pressures in the dam foundation.
The instrumentation leads that collect strain measurements
in the plinth and cut-off wall are routed through a prefabri-
For personal use only.

cated vertical concrete pipe, which is located in the down-

stream shell near the right abutment. The instrumentation
leads that collect measurements taken in the core and transi-
tion zone are routed vertically through the transition zone.
During dam construction, the instrumentation leads were
temporarily protected by vertical steel pipes.
Three vertical pipes with a total of 29 electromagnetic
rings were installed inside the downstream transition zone
behind the core, to measure local vertical and horizontal dis-
placements. The rings were arranged with an individual
height difference of 10 m.
Special gages were installed at the upstream and down-
stream interfaces between the core and transition zones to
measure differential settlements between the core and transi-
tion zones at different elevations. The gages were modified
joint meters used in concrete structures with one end anch-
ored in the core while the other was fixed in the transition
zone. The gages were only installed over the lower part of
the core in each cross section (over the lower 25 m in
cross-section D and over the lower 15 m in sections B and
F). Vertical strain meters were also installed on the upstream
and downstream faces of the core over these same lower
parts to measure strains in the asphalt concrete. Total pres-
sure cells were installed at the bottom of the asphalt core
on top of the plinth near cross-sections A and D. Further-
more, shear displacements were measured by gages installed
at the interface between the core and concrete plinth to de-
termine the shear distortions at the interface.
The structural connection between the asphalt core and re-
inforced concrete plinth is shown in Fig. 6. Strain meters
were mounted on the reinforcing steel in the plinth to meas-
ure steel stresses, and there were four lines of optic fibre
sensors to monitor potential cracking in the concrete plinth.
Observed settlements in the downstream transition zone in
August 2007 (i.e., 19 months after the end of construction)
are shown in Fig. 11. The maximum settlements, including
the foundation settlements, at sections B, D, and F were
560, 1060, and 550 mm, respectively. The vertical strain in
the transition zone varied significantly over the height, but
the average compressive strains were 0.9%, 1.3%, and 0.8%
in the three sections, respectively. The maximum horizontal
displacements in the downstream transition zone in the
downstream direction (normal to the dam axis) at sections
B, D, and F were 30, 207, and 33 mm, respectively. In the
longitudinal direction (along the dam axis), the maximum
displacements towards the right bank in these three sections
were 94, –240, and –144 mm, respectively.
The measurements of strains in the plinth (as of January
2009) indicate low values and no cracking has occurred.
Strain meters are also installed in the cut-off wall at four
transverse sections, and the observed results indicate very
satisfactory performance (Wu et al. 2009; Zhao et al. 2009;
Zheng and Wang 2009).
Field performance observations of the
asphalt core
The measured settlement differences between the lower
part of the asphalt core and the adjacent transition zones,
and the maximum measured compressive strains in the up-
stream and downstream faces of the core, are shown in Ta-
ble 4. The observation date is 18 October 2007, when the
reservoir level was at el. 2647.5 m.asl. Since then and up to
November 2008, the settlement differences between the core
and transition zone and the compressive strains in the core
have shown almost no change (Wang and Zheng 2009).

Published by NRC Research Press

 Wang et al.
Table 4. Measured settlement differences between the asphalt core and the upstream and downstream
transition zones and measured compressive strains in the core.
Settlement difference between the
core and transition zone (mm)*
Elevation
Section (m.asl.) Upstream Downstream
B 2594 59 38
2604.4 7 59
2609.5 29 20
D 2534.4 — —
2548 20 20
2558 48 55
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F 2585 50 40
2595 39 30
2600 39 34
*Positive value means that the core has settled more than the transition zone.
The data show that there are large variations in the meas-
ured differential settlements, but the asphalt core has settled
more than the transition zone in all measurements. The maxi-
mum recorded settlement difference in November 2008 was
about 60 mm. Figure 12 shows the differential settlement
curves with time at el. 2558 m. asl. in section D. The curves
show that the settlement differences took place during the
For personal use only.
dam construction period, and there is virtually no measured in-
crease in differential settlements after the end of construction.
Figure 13 shows vertical core strain versus time. The
curves show that around 90% of the asphalt strains took
place during the dam construction and impounding period,
and there is minimal measured increase in the core strains
during the subsequent 3 year operation period. The compres-
sive vertical strains on the upstream and downstream sides
of the asphalt core in the lower 25 m of the core wall in
cross-section D were measured to be 2.5%–3%, while the
average compressive strain in the downstream transition
zone over the corresponding height was 1.7%. As shown in
the figure, the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake had in-
significant effects on the strains in the core.
The temperature of the core is observed with 14 tempera-
ture sensors at sections B, D, and F. During the first month
after asphalt concrete placement, the temperature dropped
from around 160 8C to less than 20 8C and gradually reduced
with time. The temperature at the bottom of section D was
13.7 8C in December 2004, 12.4 8C in December 2005,
9.5 8C in December 2007, and 9.4 8C in November 2008. In
July 2009, the temperatures at different points in the core
were in the range 7.2–12.5 8C (Wang and Zheng 2009).
Evaluation of asphalt core performance
Interaction between asphalt core and adjacent transition
zones
The vertical compression stresses measured by the total
pressure cells at the bottom of the core are 0.65 MPa near
cross-section A and 2.1 MPa near section D (see Fig. 4).
These values have stayed almost constant from the end of
dam construction (December 2005) to the latest observation
in November 2008, showing only very small variations
caused by fluctuations in the reservoir level (Wang and
1375
Compressive strain in the core (%)
Upstream face Downstream face
— —
2.9 1.2
— —
— 3.1
2.5 3.1
— 2.7
— —
— —
2.6 2.9
Zheng 2009). The measured stresses are 90% (section A)
and 70% (section D) of the stresses computed by multiply-
ing the local height of the core with the unit weight of the
material above. The stress computed by the finite element
analyses for cross-section D was 1.65 MPa, which is consid-
erably less than the measured stress of 2.1 MPa. This means
that the arching effect between the core and the stiffer tran-
sition zones is smaller than that modeled by the finite ele-
ment analyses. This is probably due to the inadequate
modeling of the viscoelastic–plastic behavior (with tempera-
ture and time) of the asphalt core during construction. The
measured arching effect corresponds to a small average ver-
tical, upward shear stress of around 4 kPa on both sides of
the core. The constitutive modeling of asphalt concrete be-
havior for use in numerical analyses must be improved to
give more reliable analyses in better agreement with field
observations.
Interesting comparisons may be made between the field
measurements from the Yele Dam and the Maopingxi Dam.
The Maopingxi asphalt-core dam is 105 m high with a crest
length of 1840 m. The dam was built from 1997 to 2003 and
was extensively instrumented (Xu et al. 2009). The meas-
ured results, 5 years after end of construction, indicate that
the maximum settlement difference between the core and
the transition zones was 48 mm, and that occurred 14 m
above the core base. The vertical strains on the upstream
and downstream side of the asphalt core are all compressive
with a maximum value of 4%. The compression stress meas-
ured at the core bottom against the concrete plinth is
1.5 MPa for the maximum dam section, which is 60% of
the stress computed by simply multiplying the local height
of the core with the unit weight of the material above. Shear
displacements at the core–plinth interface normal to the
plinth in the downstream direction were measured to be less
than 2 mm (Zou et al. 2008). When considering the differ-
ences in dam geometry, zoning, and material properties be-
tween the Yele Dam and Maopingxi Dam, one may
conclude that the measured behaviour of the two asphalt
cores seem very consistent with each other.
It is a difficult task to take measurements of differential
settlements between the hot core and the adjacent transition
zones and to measure strains in the core itself, but it has also
Published by NRC Research Press
 1376
Fig. 12. Settlement differences between asphalt core and transition zones versus time at el. 2558 m.asl. at section D. Latest observation date
1 November 2008.
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Fig. 13. Strains at upstream (up) and downstream (down) faces of the core versus time at different heights above the plinth at section D.
Latest observation date 1 November 2008.
For personal use only.
been attempted for some earlier dams. Measurements at
Storvatn Dam, Norway (Adikari et al. 1988), showed
smaller differential settlements (10–30 mm) than in the
Yele and Maopingxi dams, and in the case of Dhünn Dam,
Germany, there was virtually no measured differential settle-
ment (Strobl and Schmid 1993).
For earth-core dams there is concern about the arching ef-
fect in the core between the adjacent filter zones and a possi-
bly significant reduction in effective stresses in the core,
which then may crack due to hydraulic fracturing. This is of
much less concern in a core of ductile asphalt concrete, which
also has some tensile strength, and the International Commis-
sion on Large Dams (ICOLD 1992) states that hydraulic frac-
turing cannot occur in an asphalt concrete core. In the Yele
Dam core, the total stresses towards the bottom of the core
are higher than the corresponding water pressures, so the ef-
fective stresses are positive. However, in other situations
there may be a concern about hydraulic fracturing. Therefore,
the authors are currently carrying out laboratory experiments
Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010
at Xi’an University of Technology to study whether condi-
tions may arise that potentially could lead to the phenomenon
of hydraulic fracturing in an asphalt concrete core.
Back-analysis of strains in the core based on measured
dam and foundation settlements
For a dam resting on a compressible foundation where
large differential settlements may occur, whether transverse
cracks or fissures may develop through the asphalt-core
wall needs to be considered. Differential settlements were
definitely a concern for the Yele Dam at the design stage.
However, the field measurements show that the foundation
settlements are relatively small, and the settlement profile
across the valley is rather gradual and almost symmetrical
about the centerline of the valley. A simplified back-analysis
of the shear strains in the core was performed using the ob-
served foundation settlements 2 years after construction.
The finite element analysis of strains in the asphalt core is
based on the following simplifications and assumptions:
Published by NRC Research Press
 Wang et al. 1377

(1) Two-dimensional (2-D) plane strain analyses have been Fig. 14. Measured settlements along the plinth at end of construc-
undertaken using the software SIGMA/W in GeoStudio tion and impounding. (These settlements are used as input in the
2004. finite element back-analysis.)
(2) The settlements along the plinth, as shown in Fig. 14,
have been increased in proportion to the dam height (as
the dam was constructed in 13 layers).
(3) The unit weight of the asphalt core (25 kN/m3) has been
reduced to an equivalent unit weight of 18.4 kN/m3. This
is done to simulate the effect of skin friction (arching)
between the core and transition zone on either side of
the core. The magnitude of the reduction was determined
by using the total stress measured at the base of the core
in section D.
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Having observed the settlements at sections B, D, and F

in the downstream transition zone and the settlement differ-
ences between the asphalt core and transition zone (Fig. 12
and Table 4), one may estimate the settlements of the as-
phalt core at these three sections. The comparisons between Fig. 15. Comparisons between the measured and calculated settle-
the calculated (by the 2-D finite element analyses) and ob- ments in the core at sections B, D, and F.
served settlements in the core at sections B, D, and F are
shown in Fig. 15. In the analysis, the equivalent Young’s
modulus for the core was taken equal to 45 MPa and Pois-
son’s ratio equal to 0.4 based on the laboratory test results
presented by Wang (2008) for the asphalt concrete used in
the core of the Yele Dam.
For personal use only.

The observed and calculated settlements at these three

sections match reasonably well below el. 2625 m.asl., but
not towards the top of the core. As geo-grids were placed
horizontally over the top 30 m of the dam, they confine the
horizontal displacements of the top part of the dam body,
which then undergoes smaller settlements. This is not mod-
eled in the back-analysis and is one reason why the calcu-
lated settlements over the top 30 m are much bigger than
the observed settlements.
The back-calculated shear stresses and shear strains in the
core are shown in Fig. 16. The results from the back-analysis
confirm that the most critical location for the asphalt core is
160 m from the left bank, where the bottom of the cut-off
wall leaves the rock base and goes over to the more com-
pressible overburden. The computed stresses and strains at
this location are shown in Table 5. The shear stresses are al-
most symmetrical around the deepest section of the dam due
to the rather symmetrical foundation settlement pattern that
was measured and used in the analysis (Fig. 14). The settle-
ments are only slightly larger on the right bank than on the
left bank, where the depth to bedrock is much smaller.
Stress–strain–strength tests were performed on 100 mm
diameter samples drilled out of the asphalt core during con-
struction. The results from strain-controlled compression tri-
axial tests, keeping the lateral confining stress constant
during each test, are shown in Fig. 17. The tests were run at
7 8C. The stress–strain curves show a very ductile asphalt
concrete behavior with insignificant strain-softening even
for tests with very low confining stress (Wang 2008). This
is characteristic of the behavior of hydraulic asphalt concrete
with a bitumen content between 6.5% and 7.5% (by total
weight), 12%–15% filler content, an aggregate grain-size
curve that satisfies the Fuller distribution of particle sizes,
and maximum aggregate size between 16 and 20 mm. The
behavior is that of a ductile, viscoelastic–plastic material
with self-healing (self-sealing) properties should any fissures
or cracks occur due to excessive shear distortions.
Eberlaste Dam, Austria, was one of the first asphalt-core
embankment dams ever built (1962–1964). It rests on a
deep and compressible alluvial foundation, and large differ-
ential settlements have taken place under the dam, causing
significant shear distortions in the asphalt core (Höeg
1995). However, even in that case, no leakage due to crack-
ing in the core has occurred. As the designers of the Eber-
laste Dam had anticipated large differential settlements,
they specified the use of an especially soft grade of bitumen
in the asphalt concrete to be able to accommodate large
shear distortions without cracking (Rienössl 1973). This is
one of the advantages of an asphalt-core embankment dam:
the geomechanical properties of the asphalt concrete may to
a certain extent be tailored to the specific design conditions,
making it well suited for use in a dam water barrier.
Based on the finite element analysis results presented in
Table 5 and the test results for the Yele asphalt-core speci-
mens, one may conclude that the computed stress and strain
states inside the core are safely within a stress–strain range
where there is no danger of cracking due to high shear
stresses or significant shear dilation that could increase the

Published by NRC Research Press

 1378 Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 47, 2010

Fig. 16. Computed maximum shear stresses and strains in the core. (a) Maximum shear stress contours (kPa) in the asphalt core from the
back-analysis. (b) Maximum shear strain contours in the asphalt core from the back-analysis.
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For personal use only.

Table 5. Stress and strain state in the most critical location of the asphalt core at section C.

Max. Major principal Minor principal Ratio of major to

State Vertical Longitudinal Hor.–vert. shear Max. shear stress stress minor principal stress
Stress (MPa) 1.73 1.08 –0.19 N/A 0.38 1.78 1.08 1.65
Strain (%) 1.9 –0.15 1.18 2.04 2.34 N/A N/A N/A
Note: Hor.–vert., horizontal–vertical; N/A, not applicable.

Fig. 17. Triaxial compression test results from 100 mm diameter permeability of the core. The measured field behaviour of
samples drilled out of the Yele Dam core during construction. the core–plinth interface in the Yele Dam is also very reas-
Results presented for different levels of confining stress. suring.

Asphalt core as impervious barrier

Thirteen pizeometers were installed in the downstream
transition zone adjacent to the core at sections B, C, D, and
E, and 15 piezometers were installed upstream and down-
stream near the joint between the asphalt core and concrete
plinth at these same sections. Fifteen piezometers were in-
stalled in the foundation under sections B, C, and D, and 20
piezometers were installed from the observation gallery
down to 2 m below the dam base.
About 200 m downstream of the dam toe, a measuring
weir was installed to measure the seepage rate coming from
the river bed section, left side of the dam, and left abutment.
Most, if not all, of the seepage through the right side of the
dam and through the right abutment is assumed to be col-
lected and measured by the 12 weirs installed on the right

Published by NRC Research Press

 Wang et al.
bank in the drainage gallery, construction gallery, access
galleries, and a drainage ditch (see Fig. 3).
During the impounding test, very little seepage was re-
corded and the pore pressures measured on the downstream
side of the asphalt core above the plinth were zero or negli-
gible up to a reservoir level of about el. 2630 m.asl. When
the reservoir level exceeded el. 2633 m.asl., there was a sig-
nificant increase in seepage through the right bank. When
the reservoir was at el. 2648 m.asl. (i.e., only 2 m below
full supply level), the pressure at plinth level on the up-
stream side of the core was 118 m while the pressure head
in the river bed at the downstream side of the core was still
only 7 m under section D. However, the pore-water pressure
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in the foundation under section F on the right bank was ob-
served to be high, increasing with the reservoir level. The
significant seepage beneath the cut-off wall at this section
was of concern, and in early 2006 a deep drainage well was
installed in the foundation through the observation gallery.
In December 2007, when the reservoir was at el.
2650 m.asl. (i.e., full supply level), the maximum total seep-
age was 358 L/s, which is still smaller than the maximum
seepage value of 500 L/s anticipated during design (Wang
et al. 2009). From May to September 2008, additional grout-
ing was carried out, and new drainage wells were drilled in
the drainage gallery in the right bank. When the reservoir
was at full supply level again in November 2008, the total
For personal use only.
seepage was reduced to 277 L/s.
Based on the measured pore pressures in the downstream
dam body, at the plinth level downstream, and on the results
from the impounding test, one may conclude that insignifi-
cant seepage is coming through the asphalt core and the
core–plinth interface.
Concluding remarks
For the complex foundation and inclement climatic condi-
tions at the Yele Dam site, which is in a highly seismic re-
gion, a rockfill dam with a central core of asphalt concrete
was selected rather than a dam with an earth core or con-
crete facing. The design of the dam has been presented in
this paper with an emphasis on the design and construction
of the asphalt concrete core.
The properties of asphalt concrete may to a certain extent
be tailored to specific design and site requirements, and field
experience and research show that asphalt concrete is a ‘‘for-
giving’’ material very well suited for use in the impervious
core of an embankment dam.
An extensive field monitoring program was implemented
for Yele Dam, and the recorded results have been compared
with those of other high rockfill dams with an asphalt core.
Special attention has been given to the interaction between
the core and adjacent transition zones.
Based on the field measurements, back-analyses, tests on
the properties of the asphalt concrete and the joint between
the core and plinth, one may conclude that the asphalt core
of the Yele Dam performs very well. There are no indica-
tions of any leakage through the core or at the joint between
the asphalt core and concrete plinth above the foundation
cut-off wall.
However, as anticipated at this geologically very difficult
site, there is some leakage under the dam in spite of the ex-
1379
tensive use of deep cut-off walls and curtain grouting. In
late 2008 the leakage amounted to about 280 L/s. Continu-
ous surveillance is taking place to study and control the de-
velopment of this underseepage.
Acknowledgements
The first and the third authors would like to thank Profes-
sors Sun Zhentian and Wu Liyan and the late Professors
Ding Purong and Yang Quanmin at Xi’an University of
Technology, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China, for their co-
operation during several research programs on the Yele as-
phalt core since 1991. The authors thank the Nanya River
Basin Hydro-Electric Development Cooperation, the dam
owner, for permission to present the performance observa-
tions of the Yele Dam.
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Appendix A
The Yele Dam is located in the northern part of the seis-
mically active fault zone of the Anning River region, and
the reservoir is about 2 km west of the Anning River down-
stream active faults. The basic seismic intensity of the dam
site is VIII (Chinese scale) and the design intensity is IX
with a peak horizontal ground acceleration of 0.45g.
The Yele Dam seismic analyses were carried out by tak-
ing the peak horizontal rock ground acceleration of 0.45g in
the river direction and 0.3g in vertical acceleration. The cou-
pling coefficient of earthquake horizontal and vertical accel-
erations of 0.5 was used. The earthquake was assumed to
last 40 s in a time-domain analysis. The predicted maximum
earthquake-induced settlement, horizontal displacement
(downstream direction), and longitudinal displacement
(along the dam axis) of the dam crest were 62, 188, and
52 mm, respectively. Based on the results of the analyses,
the dam design as presented in this paper is considered to
be very earthquake resistant.
Appendix B
In the original design, the earthquake resistance was in-
creased by using reinforced concrete beams in the top part
of the dam. As this was found to be impractical from a con-
struction point of view, it was decided to use geo-grid rein-
forcement instead. That was the first time geo-grids were to
be used to increase earthquake resistance in an embankment
dam in China. The type and physical parameters of the geo-
grids used are: maximum tensile strength ‡ 250 MPa; max-
imum longitudinal tensile load ‡ 150 kN/m; maximum
transverse tensile load ‡ 80 kN/m; maximum tensile strain ‡
8%; tensile load ‡ 60 kN/m at a tensile strain of 3%. The
tensile strength at joints was specified to be ‡ 50 kN/m.
When using geo-grids in such designs, the material of the
geo-grids should be made of polypropylene or high-density
polythene and an oxygen-resistance agent should be added
to prevent the geo-grid from ageing.
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 Wang et al. 1381

Appendix C
Table C1. Dam fill material parameters used in Duncan–Chang model (Duncan and Chang 1970) in finite element analysis.

Material C’ Density
(see Figs. 1 and 2) Rf K n G F D Kur K0 DK (kPa) (g/cm3)
Q21I 0.65 1950 0.76 0.38 –0.023 4.5 3800 40 0 70 2.42
Q22I 0.65 1800 0.72 0.35 –0.023 3.8 3600 40 0 70 2.42
Q31II 0.68 900 0.74 0.38 –0.026 4.3 2200 37 0 80 2.45
Q32–1III 0.70 1100 0.78 0.38 –0.04 5.6 2200 38 0 80 2.24
Q32–2III 0.59 1300 0.76 0.39 –0.035 5.9 2600 39 0 60 2.35
Q32–3IV 0.65 900 0.73 0.38 0.02 5.7 2200 37 0 60 2.20
Asphalt core 0.76 850 0.33 0.38 0.05 15 1200 27 0 200 2.43
Transition zone (dry) 0.67 1200 0.52 0.32 0.06 5 2400 43 5 0 2.2
Can. Geotech. J. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by 212.156.68.18 on 04/21/11

Transition zone (wet) 0.67 1080 0.52 0.32 0.06 5 2100 41 5 0 2.2
Upstream rockfill (dry) 0.72 1000 0.5 0.33 0.06 6 1800 48 5 0 2.2
Upstream rockfill (wet) 0.72 900 0.5 0.33 0.06 6 1600 46 5 0 2.2
Downstream rockfill (II) 0.65 1200 0.45 0.31 0.03 3 2000 50 5 0 2.25
Downstream rockfill (I) 0.72 1000 0.5 0.33 0.06 6 1800 48 5 0 2.2
Toe berm 0.65 800 0.45 0.31 0.05 3 1800 48 5 0 2.3
Downstream rockfill (III) 0.75 800 0.4 0.28 0.05 3 1600 36 3 0 2.2
Note: Rf, ratio between the asymptote to the hyperbolic curve and the maximum shear strength; K, modulus number describing the material stiffness; n,
a value describing the rate of change of the material stiffness as a function of the confining stress; G, F, and D, test parameters related to material volume
change; Kur, modulus number used during unloading and reloading; K0, material friction angle in degrees; DK, increase of material friction angle in
degrees; C’, cohesion intercept.

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