Convertibility of Stress Equivalence Steps for Finite Element Calculations of Arch Dam

The principal stress of an arch dam after the equivalent treatment is an important control index of arch dam stress. To explore whether the principal stress calculated by the common finite element equivalent stress method is consistent with the principal stress obtained from direct equivalent treatment of the output principal tensile stress and principal compressive stress calculated by the large finite element software, this paper carried out the stress and deformation calculations of a high-arched dam under the basic combination of conditions through the actual project and then explore the convertibility between the two steps. The results show that the stresses in the heel and toe of the dam are dependent on the mesh size, and the stress concentration can be better reduced after the equivalent treatment; the principal stress calculated by the traditional equivalence step of the finite element equivalent stress method is closer to the principal stress obtained from direct equivalent treatment of the principal stress output by the large finite element software, and the error is basically within 5%, two equivalence steps are convertible.