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Abstract Firstly，the significances of rock structure and stability are introduced. Then，the methods to calculate limit bearing capacity for structure stability are presented. Finally，the basic problems on geotechnical stability，the constitutive relations and their positive-definition relations are studied. So far，the finite element method(FEM) for geotechnical structure stability could not obtain its exact solutions. However，by means of energy criteria，surplus-force reinforcement method and potential energy criteria，the solutions for engineering stability can be reasonably achieved. The following items could be preceded by FEM：limit load analysis in terms of structure failure and material failure，limit analysis of upper bound load and lower bound load of structures，nonlinear analysis of structure behaviors. The FEM is emphasized on how to solve structure stability problems for engineering projects，and on how to use energy criteria to problems of stability study for large-scale dam projects，and they could be optimized，through the context，from theory to practice. The real engineering problems are illustrated that are encountered in dam constructions during the last 40 years，and factors of safety gained from geomechanical rupture tests and rupture processes are submitted. With the corresponding achieved numerical analytical results，their factors of safety are reasonably cited in related codes or specifications. The results from these studies show that the large-scale dams in China have undergone the above-mentioned simulations，and their results are primarily verified with practical cases. Almost all of the dams are now under control and they are safe and stable.
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Received: 04 May 2010
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2010, Vol. 29 
