Considerations on the acceptance of small size particles in rockfills

Abstract

 ln this paper we try to analyse the role and the influence of the small size particles included in the rockfills on their behaviour, emphasizing the complex and the little clarified meaning of their size and their percentage in the rockfills, over the behaviour and stability, usually translated in harder safety factors of project. It is related the Jack of a clear definition when the smallness of the particles and their proportion give to the whole rockfills diferent attributes from the clean coarse rockfill, mainly those unfavourable to the engineering works. The study comprises mainly dams till 50 meter in height (the most usual works), but probably some present considerations may be applied to harder situations. We finish referring a "tout venant" dam with clay core where it was necessary the considera­ tion of the admission of the small size particles (soils) in the rockfill and their possible migration through the dam in spite of the Jack of conclusive antecedents.