Composite contact element and its application to simulation of cracked high arch dam

Deformation and stress of a high arch dam are greatly influenced by its artificial or natural cracks,such as transverse joints,induced joints and temperature cracks.The mechanical features of these cracks,especially temperature cracks,are too complicated to be simulated with conventional contact elements.This paper puts forth a composite contact element,in which a contact component can be inserted into a thin concrete element.The concept of this new element is simple and easy to implement numerically,and it supports use of regular finite element meshes in computation.The formation and grouting effects of cracks can be effectively simulated by dynamically adjusting the stiffness coefficient of contact component.The recommended values of stiffness coefficient and thickness of the thin concrete element are presented with sensitivity analysis for a numerical example.The proposed method has been applied to Xiaowan high arch dam,and comparison of computations with in-situ data shows its accuracy and effectiveness.