Abstract: Generally, the influence of the stress state on the seepage field was not considered in the seepage analysis for the embankment dams. However, the stresses in the embankment dams are very complex and have large variation during water filling. Furthermore, the stress state has evident impact on the seepage field. So some errors will be induced into the seepage analysis results if the influence of the stress is ignored. The seepage fields of the core wall rockfill dams on the conditions of considering or not considering the influence of the stress are analyzed and compared using the finite element method. The results show that induced by the stresses on the dams, local compressive deformation of the dams occurred, the seepage velocity of the dams decreases and the maximum hydraulic gradients at the seepage exit is much larger than those in the non-coupling analyses; it is shown that the seepage analysis without considering the effects of stress on the dam seepage is not conducive to dam safety.

Key words: rockfill dam, seepage field, stress state, seepage-stress coupling, finite elements