Coupled Creep and Seepage Model for Hybrid Media

The permeability coefficient of a rock mass depends mainly on the aperture of the joint and the porosity of the block, which may alter with time when creep of the rock mass is taken into account. Therefore, a coupled creep and seepage model for hybrid media is proposed in this paper. Large-scale and strongly permeable joints are simulated according to their spatial distributions, while other discontinuities are treated as equivalent continuum. Based on the fundamental mechanism of creep effects on the permeability of the rock mass, together with empirical equations for hydraulic conductivity, coupled creep and seepage equations for filled joints, rough joints, and equivalent continuum are proposed. By application of these equations, governing equations for the coupled creep and seepage model are deduced. A simplified numerical solution is proposed to solve the coupled creep and seepage model. The coupled model is shown to simulate the evolvement of seepage, deformation, and stress field in a gravity dam. By comparing the results derived by coupled and uncoupled models, it is concluded that the coupling between creep and seepage should be taken into account when performing engineering design of large dams.