Viscoplastic flow of soft rock in foundation of Zermanice Dam

2D FEM simulation of formation of Lucina Riverbed at Zermanice Dam site is described in the paper. The work made use of geological-historical study of Academic Zaruba (1956 ), which showed that erosion of the valley in geological time induced viscoplastic flow and bulging of the marly shale forming the valley. This resulted in a landslide breaking the overlying teschenite sill into separate blocks. This process was simulated using Perzyna’s theory of viscoplasticity. The model is a part of an extensive modeling program aiming at stability analysis of the Zermanice Concrete Dam revealing unusual performance according to the long-term monitoring results. To get proper input data for the 3D model fitting the measurement results, a series of local and regional models allowing for step-by-step calibration of mechanical, hydraulic, thermal and rheological parameters of bedrock according to the monitoring results was applied. The presented model aimed at estimation of the in situ stress state of the valley and the rheological parameters of the marly shale.