A Computer Model for Selecting Equipment in Earth-Fill Dam Projects

Selecting right equipment has been playing an important role in the success of construction projects. This paper presents a computer model, ESCMODEL, for equipment selection in Earth-fill dam projects. The proposed model is capable of assisting the users in making decisions to determine the size, number, type and schedule of presence of dozers, loaders, graders, excavators, trucks, sheepsfoot rollers and smooth wheel rollers. ESCMODEL can contribute to resolve this selection process through the application of an optimization technique, based on nonlinear programming. Three actual case studies of earth-fill dam projects are presented in order to illustrate the effectiveness and performance of the model.

Three Gorges Dam project in great progress as planned

It hasn’t been easy, but almost all of the work on the Three Gorges Project is on schedule, according to a corporation overseeing construction of the dam. The China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Development Corporation has reported that contractors and other staff are working hard to ensure that the flood season does not slow the dam project. The company recently detailed the mammoth tasks that have taken place so

Review of the Relocation of General Zhang Fei’s Temple in View of the Three Gorges Dam Project

As a national cultural property,General Zhang Fei’s Temple is the largest ancient architectural complex in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.It was built in the Han Dynasty and has a long history of nearly 2,000 years.In 1994,the Chinese government launched the Three Gorges Dam project at the Yangtze River and implemented the largest relocation project for the General Zhang Fei Temple to prevent it from being submerged.The temple was relocated 32 kilometers upstream along with the local people of Yunyang County,and the historic environment was rebuilt on the opposite side of the migrant city of New Yunyang County.The temple was restored successfully and the tradition of offering sacrifices to General Zhang Fei continued in the local community.The relocation project lasted for 8 years and became the largest cultural heritage conservation project of the People’s Republic of China at the end of the 20th century.This paper comprehensively summarizes and reviews the project goals,implementation process,and project highlights of this relocation,so as to provide an important case reference for heritage conservation projects in the future.

Hazards from lakes and reservoirs: new interpretation of the Vaiont disaster

Hazards in reservoirs and lakes arising from subaerial landslides causing impact waves(or ‘lake tsunamis’) are now well known, with several recent examples having been investigated in detail. The potential scale of such hazards was not widely known at the time of the Vaiont dam project in the 1950s and early 1960s, although a small wave triggered by a landslide at another new reservoir nearby in the Dolomites(northern Italy) drew the possible hazard to the attention of the Vaiont project’s managers. The Vaiont disaster in 1963 arose from a combination of disparate and seemingly unrelated factors and circumstances that led to an occurrence that could not have been imagined at that time. The ultimate cause was a very large landslide moving very rapidly into a reservoir and displacing the water. The resulting wave overtopped the dam to a height of around 175 m and around 2000 people were killed. This paper identifies and examines all of the issues surrounding the Vaiont dam and landslide in order to identify causal factors, contributory factors(including aggravating factors) and underlying factors. In doing so, it demonstrates that the disaster arose from the Vaiont dam project and cannot be attributed simply to the landslide. Underlying geological factors gave rise to the high speed of the landslide, which would have occurred anyway at some time. However, without the contributory factors that account for the presence of the reservoir, i.e. the choice of location for the project and management of the project with respect to a possible landslide hazard, there would have been no disaster. Indeed, the disaster could have been avoided if the reservoir could have been emptied pending further ground investigations. Understanding of this case provides many lessons for future dam projects in mountainous locations but also highlights an ongoing and perhaps under-appreciated risk from similar events involving other water bodies including geologically recent lakes formed behind natural landslide dams.

RISK ANALYSIS OF EROSION BELOW THE DAM OF ER TEN PROJECT

The erosion risk below the dam of Er Tan project, which comes from the flood relief of the spillway and mid- dle outlet spillway, is analysed by risk analysis theory. According to the analysis results, it is imperative that the stilling pool below the dam should be adopted to protect river bed from erosion. From the view of risk-protection and economy, the Er Tan project design scheme that adopted the stilling pool is coincident with safe and economical rules. It is efficient and scientific. The erosion risk analysis method used in the paper can be used in other projects. The results are certainly of reference value and great significance for engineering design.