Investigation of Small- to Large-Strain Moduli Correlations of Rockfill Materials – Application to Romaine-2 Dam

Abstract

Establishment of a relationship between the shear wave velocity (Vs) and other geotechnical parameters of rockfill soils at large strains (oedometer modulus, Moedo, tangent modulus, Et) is considered a significant step towards more precise modelling of earth-structure deformation behaviour. In this study, four samples of different gradations, reconstituted from the rockfill materials used in the construction of the Romaine-2 dam, were experimented to correlate the small strain to large strain moduli. Development of Moedo and Vs with consolidation was measured in the laboratory using the piezoelectric ring-actuator technique (P-RAT) incorporated in a large oedometer. Therefore, a correlation between Moedo and small strain shear modulus Go was proposed. Moreover, numerical simulations were performed based on the Duncan-Chang hyperbolic model to correlate the Vs to Duncan-Chang initial modulus(Ei). Based on the experimental and numerical data, a relation between Ei and Vs of the tested rockfill has been established. Verification studies were also carried out on in-situ measurements during Romaine-2 dam construction, proofing the ability of the proposed relationships to predict Ei related to the minor principal stress (σ3) from in-situ Vs measurement. The proposed correlations could help the geotechnical designers to estimate accurately the deformation of rockfill materials from in-situ Vs measurement.