The brittle failure finite element method is widely used in arch dam safety evaluation, but it also has some problems, the concrete strength criterion is different, the dam failure range is different. This article first introduces brittle failure constitutive relation and three strength criterions, then takes a high arch dam as an example to compute, obtains some conclusions that the relative failure range of foundation plane corresponds to blaxial strength criterion is slightly bigger than the result of uniaxial strength criterion, is almost the same as the result of triaxial strength criterion. Because the influence of the third principal stress is compressed stress to the dam crack is taken into account under multiaxial strength criterion, therefore using multiaxial strength criterion is more reasonable.
