Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper, nonlinear dynamic analysis of concrete gravity dams was studied. To investigate the effect of dam-reservoir-foundation interaction, a two-dimensional approach was used including the finite element method, and smeared crack approach. The dam-reservoir interaction is solved by staggered solution procedure while the Sharan boundary condition is applied at the reservoir's far-end truncated boundary. The foundation is defined as a part of the structure and some different boundary conditions such as Lysmer, Boulder and damper boundary conditions are applied at its truncated boundaries. Results show that when the nonlinear analysis includes the dam - foundation interaction and the... 

Investigation on the behavior of dams against the seismic loads is a key factor for safety requirement. One of the mostimportant problems in evaluation of seismic behavior of concrete gravity dams is dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. In this paper, we study the effect of dam-reservoir-foundation interaction on nonlinear behavior of concrete gravity dams, a two-dimensional approach was used including the finite element method and smeared crack approach. Effective parameters in the models are physical properties of concrete such as modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and specific fracture energy. Their importance in the nonlinear analysis was investigated in a parametric study.... 

Leakage in embankment dam by applying seepage and thermal numerical simulations are studied in this paper. Unpredicted seepage in earthen dams is known as the main cause of damage in most cases. Determination of seepage flow quantity and prediction of dam leakage is very important. Temperature variation in dam body can be simulated to estimate the water velocity in soil layers. While moving through dam body, seepage flow carries all physical specifications of reservoir water, including its temperature. Mass and energy balance equations are discretized for modeling flow and temperature fields. The finite element method along with a mathematical model has been utilized to discretize and solve... 

Present study concerns the safety evaluation of SefidRud dam's block No. 18 regarding probable crack propagation in the foundation gallery under a MCE record. Accordingly, a 3D finite element model of the block in companion with the reservoir and the foundation is modeled. All the associated thermal and structural parameters are derived via calibration with the records of thermometers and pendulums installed inside the dam body. The origination of the cracks and their whereabouts are determined by primary thermal and static analyses and through a linear dynamic analysis the potential failure zone and their extent and level are studied. The foundation gallery is the most probable zone among... 

A local anisotropic damage mechanics model based on energy equivalence was used for evaluating the nonlinear static and dynamic response of concrete gravity dams. The cracks within the elements was formulated as coaxial rotating cracks and the effect of hydrodynamic pressure was included using the staggered displacement method. The features of strain rate effects; strain softening and closing/reopening of cracks were included in the model. The mesh objectivity of the nonlinear model was satisfied by the fracture energy conservation technique. The Pine Flat dam was chosen to investigate the performance of the proposed algorithms. It was found that the resulted crack profiles when including... 

A novel and robust approach is proposed to find the optimum shape of concrete arch dams located on any unsymmetrical shape of a valley. The approach is capable of finding the optimum shape for any given valley type in suitable time, based on abutment stability analysis, against thrust forces from an arch dam. The behavior and stability of a concrete arch dam is strongly dependent on the bedrock on which the dam rests. The stability of the abutment is considered a constraint in the proposed approach. In addition, a new objective function is introduced to decrease the final volume of the arch dam. Furthermore, a computer program was developed, which takes the effect of the dam foundation... 

Seismic analysis of complex structures such as concrete dams has been the subject of numerous studies. One of the challenges in seismic analysis of such systems is proper modelling of massed foundation. Since concrete dams’ foundations are usually layered, this makes the homogenous half-space assumption relatively unrealistic. In this paper, the effects of massed layered foundation on seismic response of concrete gravity dams in dam-reservoir-foundation systems are investigated. Seismic finite element analysis of the system carried out using domain reduction method. This approach is compared with another available method named, free-field column. First set of analysis considers the effect of... 

Seismic analysis of complex structures such as concrete dams has been the subject of numerous studies. One of the challenges in seismic analysis of such systems is proper modelling of massed foundation. Since concrete dams’ foundations are usually layered, this makes the homogenous half-space assumption relatively unrealistic. In this paper, the effects of massed layered foundation on seismic response of concrete gravity dams in dam-reservoir-foundation systems are investigated. Seismic finite element analysis of the system carried out using domain reduction method. This approach is compared with another available method named, free-field column. First set of analysis considers the effect of... 

In this study, the behavior of gavoshan dam was evaluated during construction and the first impounding. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical analysis was conducted based on a finite difference method on the largest cross-section of the dam using the results of instrument measurements and back analysis. These evaluations will be completed in the case that back analysis is carried out in order to control the degree of the accuracy and the level of confidence of the measured behavior since each of the measurements could be controlled by comparing it to the result obtained from the numerical model. Following that, by comparing the results of the numerical analysis with the measured values, it is... 

At the present study, application of endurance time analysis (ETA) method in seismic evaluation of arch dams is investigated. ETA is a time-history based dynamic pushover procedure, which utilizes a set of predesigned intensifying acceleration functions to estimate the responses of the structural systems in various seismic excitation levels. Dez dam was chosen as the case study and all contraction and peripheral joints were modeled based on as-built drawings. The reservoir was modeled as a compressible medium and the foundation was assumed to be massless. Results show that ETA method is able to estimate dynamic responses of the dam with acceptable accuracy in comparison with time history... 

According to available information and references, water leakage and internal erosion in bodies and foundations of embankment dams are the main reasons of many problems and failures. To reduce this risk in foundation, plastic cut off walls is one of the most reliable solutions. In this research the effect of specimen's age on the mechanical properties of plastic concrete was studied. This paper summarizes the test results which were conducted in unconfined and triaxial state. Plastic concrete specimens were prepared in the laboratory condition using the materials provided from the Silve dam site. Test results have shown that the time and confining pressure extremely affect the mechanical... 

Trapezoidal Cemented Sand and Gravel Dam, namely Trapezoid CSG, is a new type of dam. Due to lack of dynamic studies in the field of CSG dam, this research was performed to analyze Trapezoidal CSG dam using dynamic Finite element method with ABAQUS Software. To investigate possible earthquake-induced damages, fragility curves are plotted based on damage index, the length of the cracks created at the dam base and the area of cracked elements in the dam. The seismic analysis indicated that minimum and maximum tensions are generated in the heel and toe of the dam, respectively. According to the fragility curves, with increase in PGA, the possibility of the exceeding the defined limit state is... 

In this work, impulsive wave generation and propagation generated by landslides are studied numerically for a real case. Maku dam reservoir, in the northwestern of Iran is considered as the case study. Generated wave heights, wave run-up, maximum wave height above the dam crest and the probable overtopping volume have been evaluated, using a two-dimensional numerical model (LS3D). This model is validated using available three-dimensional experimental data for simulating impulsive wave caused by sub-aerial landslides. Based on the results, the generated wave height for first and second scenarios are 12 m and 18 m respectively. The wave height of 8 m is observed close to dam body. Because of... 

Steady state seepage analysis of embankment dams is one of the most significant stages in the designing process. Currently, most seepage modeling of embankment dams is performed in two dimensions, often for the highest section, which include several simplifications. In this way, the effect of watertight elements such as grouting curtains in side abutments as well as their material properties is not taken into account in seepage analysis results. Especially if the dam is located in a narrow valley or the effect of existing faults beneath the dam is to be investigated, the results of the two-dimensional seepage analysis differ from those of three-dimensional (3D). In this paper, the... 

One of the methods in limiting tensile stresses in arch dams and removing stress concentrations at the dam-foundation interface is setting the dam body on a concrete saddle called a Pulvino. In the present study, the effects of Pulvino and peripheral joints on the static behavior and seismic performance of arch dams are investigated. Dez Dam with a height of 203 m was selected as a case study and all contraction joints of the dam body were modeled using the discrete crack approach based on as-built drawings. Also, the surrounding rock was modeled as a mass-less medium tied to Pulvino. The dam-reservoirfoundation system was analyzed under static loads accounting for stage construction... 

Damage assessment of concrete arch dams is carried out through nonlinear Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) of a typical arch dam. In this study the Morrow Point arch dam is subjected to a set of 12 three-component earthquakes each scaled to 12 increasing intensity levels. The dam-foundation interaction effects have been investigated by varying foundation's modulus of elasticity to be equal and half of dam concrete's modulus of elasticity. Damage propagation through the dam body is investigated and various IDA curves are created. The performance and various limit-states of the dam structure are examined based on the obtained results. Simple damage indices are proposed through comparison of... 

Dam failure can result in a catastrophic break followed by a ood wave, often with considerable loss of life or property. One of the main causes of dam failure is loss of shear strength and the existence of discontinuity within the foundation. Dynamic analysis of concrete dams usually considered concrete behavior to be nonlinear and the foundation rock is assumed to be linear. In this study, seismic analysis of a concrete gravity dam was conducted to investigate the effect of the foundation on the nonlinear response. A finite element model of a dam-reservoir-foundation was considered to properly model the foundation as well as dam body nonlinear behaviors. An elasto-plastic formulation was...