Examination of cracking potential in the low-plasticity core of an earth dam

In the construction of earth dams، it is preferable to use soil with relatively high plasticity index and low permeability، if such soil can be provided from resources near the dam. But in some regions، the existing clayey soil does not have appropriate plasticity (i. e. silty – Clay) for the construction of the core، and using such soil can endanger the internal instability of the dam. The core of Doosti earth dam located in Khorasan Razavi province has been constructed from silty-clay materials. In the present paper، a method for evaluation of the potential for cracking in low-plasticity clay cores of earth dams is first introuduced. This method is then used to examine the potential for cracking in the Doosti dam in northeast of Iran. Results indicate that according to the mentioned criterion، two regions in the upper section of the core are capable to cracking