Abstract: It is found from laboratory tests and in-situ observation that earth fills in high dams are usually crushed under high pressure and soaked condition. Particle crushing will change the distribution of earth fills and density; accordingly change the stress-strain behavior. In order to model this behavior, a method is proposed to develop a hypo-plastic constitutive model. Rock particle crushing and density changing, as well as the stress induced anisotropy change in high dams are considered. The hypo-plastic model can also be used to describe cyclic behavior in combination of crushing and density changing effect. The developed model needs test data verification; and then it can be further used into dynamic elastoplastic FEM programming and analysis of high earth-rock dams.

Key words: high earth-rock dam, ballast, particle crushing, hypo-plastic model, anisotropic kinematic hardening