Abstract: Few of the previous methods for generating finite element meshes for earth-rockfill dams have taken into account material zoning, construction phasing, and the requirements for horizontal layering during filling, but they are essential for accurate simulations. Manual mesh generation is labor-intensive and time-consuming, resulting in variable quality and poorly formed elements. This paper presents a novel method that considers material zoning and phased filling for mesh generation. It is based on manual processing and initially involves horizontal layering and vertical partitioning of the dam's maximum cross-section to create regular grids with controllable segmentation scales. Then, based on node classification and numbering, it refines regular grids into three-node or four-node planar elements through implementing several new techniques, such as node migration, element identification, merging, collapsing, and splitting. Our FEM code developed using this method is efficient in generating two-dimensional high-quality finite element meshes for the maximum cross-section of the Jiangpinghe dam, and has a potential to extend to three-dimensional mesh generation.

Key words: earth-rockfill dam, the finite element method, material zoning, phased construction, mesh generation