Stability of embankment dams based on minimum-experience of safety factor

An embankment structure such as an earth dam or a river bank should be stable under various reservoir or river stages. The stability of an earth slope subjected to changing water levels depends on, among other factors, stresses induced within the earth mass due to transient seepage. By using a finite element procedure which combines a seepage analysis and a stress-deformation analysis with a slope stability analysis, an interaction among the transient seepage, the effective stress and the stability of earth structures is investigated. Instability of earth dams subjected to a storm accompanied by changing external water level in the reservoir or the river is described based on the stress changes within the dam. An practical application of the numerical procedure to a reservoir operation of an old irrigation pond is given, where the stability of the embankment dam is examined through a minimum-experience of safety factor.