On June 13, the 70th session of the "Everest Forum" was grandly held in the International Academic Lecture Hall for Geological Hazards. This session specially invited Professor Zhou Chuangbing, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, to give a wonderful academic presentation to the teachers and students present on the theme of "Coupled Effects of Seepage and Deformation in Rock and Soil Masses and Their Control." The lecture was hosted by the Institute of Science and Technology Development and co-organized by the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection. Vice President Hou Mingcai presided over the presentation.

▲Lecture site

     At the beginning of the lecture, Hou Mingcai extended a warm welcome to Academician Zhou Chuangbing and briefly introduced Zhou Chuangbing's academic achievements and his outstanding contributions in the field of hydraulic rock mechanics and reservoir-dam safety research. Zhou Chuangbing has long been engaged in research on the theory of coupled seepage and deformation analysis of hydraulic rock masses and on refined seepage simulation and multi-level control technologies for reservoirs and dams. His achievements have been widely applied in large-scale water conservancy and hydropower projects such as Baihetan, Jinping, Xiluodu, and the Three Gorges.

▲Hou Mingcai presiding over the lecture

     In his presentation, Zhou Chuangbing began with the research background and key issues, elaborating in detail on the importance of multi-field coupling in the Earth's sphere system and its wide range of application scenarios in human engineering activities. He shared the coupling mechanisms of seepage and deformation in rock and soil masses, introduced the coupling effects in three dimensions—effective stress, physical weakening, and chemical reactions—and presented a hydro-mechanical coupled multi-scale model as well as the hydro-mechanical-erosion coupling mechanism. He focused on multi-field coupled numerical analysis methods, including equivalent continuum analysis methods and discontinuous analysis methods, and demonstrated the advantages and application examples of related numerical simulation software. In terms of coordinated control technology for seepage and deformation, Zhou Chuangbing identified the key difficulties in seepage control and deformation control, and introduced methods of multi-level control and whole-process regulation. Combining engineering application examples such as the Jinping II project, the Xiluodu project, and the Baihetan project, he demonstrated the successful application of research results in practical engineering; these results have significantly raised the technical level of seepage and deformation analysis and control in water conservancy and hydropower engineering.

▲Zhou Chuangbing giving an academic presentation

     At the end of the lecture, Zhou Chuangbing interacted and exchanged views with the teachers and students present, carefully answering the questions they raised. The atmosphere on site was lively; the teachers and students not only broadened their academic horizons but also gained valuable academic experience and inspiration, further stimulating their enthusiasm for scientific research and innovation.

▲On-site interactive exchange