Field prototype experiment of rockfill temperature before SCC filling for rock-filled concrete dam

The estimation of the rockfill temperature in practical engineering is of great significance to calculate the temperature rise of rock-filled concrete. Through the field prototype experiments of monitoring the rockfill temperature, the non-uniform temperature field along with the seasonal distribution was analyzed by qualitative and quantitative approaches. When the rockfill in a lift surface is treated as an equivalent ‘rock’ with porous structure, some results were manifested that: (1) The temperature of the exposed rockfill is more susceptible to the air (solar radiation and convection etc.), which results in the heterogeneity and seasonal variability; (2) The estimation of the rockfill temperature can be roughly conducted by its relationship with the air temperature. (3) The influence of the air temperature on the rockfill is nearly linear with the depth, and the thermal conductivity can be estimated for the future numerical simulations. Further work is in process for the mechanism of heat conduction between rockfill and SCC.