Large-scale shaking table model tests of aseismic measures for concrete faced rock-fill dams

•Four types of reinforcements were investigated using analogy method.•The failure processes of the CFRDs with reinforcements are studied.•The acting mechanisms and effectiveness of reinforcements were discussed.•A novel reinforcement measure was proposed for the seismic design of CFRDs.

The aseismic design of concrete faced rock-fill dams (CFRDs) has become vitally important in recent years. A series of 1-g large-scale shaking table model tests were conducted, applying similitude laws to evaluate the effectiveness of various aseismic measures. The following four reinforcing measures are discussed in this study: reinforcing the top zone with geogrid, protecting the downstream slope surface using stone block, replacing the top zone of the dam with cemented rock-fill material or concrete layers. The failure developments were visualised using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The mechanisms of these reinforcement measures were analysed in detail. The effectiveness of these measures was evaluated by comparing the crest settlement rates and key accelerations corresponding to surface grain yield, slab fracture and slab dislocation. Based on the model test results, a combination of reinforcement measures was proposed for the prototype CFRDs.