NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL PLUG INSIDE SUCTION FOUNDATIONS DURING SUCTION PENETRATION BY DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD

The phenomenon of the soil plug usually rising inside the suction foundations during suction penetration was quantitatively described and predicted. The formation process of the soil plug was simulated and calculated by DEM （discrete element method） model. The seepage flow, the self-weight of soil, the friction on the chamber wall as well as the suction inside the chamber are considered as the main external forces in the process. The results are compared with a set of laboratory model tests performed by using three soil types （sand, silty clay and clay） in the Bohai Sea area. The heights of soil plug from numerical estimations are lower than those from model test results, mainly because the suction pressure and friction resistance are applied in an ideal way under the numerical simulation.

Research of Temperature Tracer Method to Detect Tubular Leakage Passage in Earth-Dam

The location, intensity and scope of concentrated leakage must be determined in order to repair earth-Dam scoured by the leakage. In this paper, firstly, heat tracer theory and distribution laws of temperature in soil body with leakage are discussed. Then temperature tracer model is established according to stable heat conduction theory. In such model, the concentrated seepage passage is simplified into a circular pipe as a boundary condition. The location, scope and flow-velocity of the concentrated leakage are estimated via ichnography of the lowest temperature based on temperature data from detecting wells by quantitative computation and qualitative analysis. In case study, the distribution characteristic of temperature (including temperature data of water in reservoir, drainage pipes and tail pond) can be interpreted by this model. A modified model is also set up, applied for detected data at different cross-sections of the leakage passage, in which the temperature data are rectified according to distances from data locations to calculating section. Finally, the model is solved by numerical iterative method, and the possible error of this theoretical model is discussed. The permeability coefficient in leakage area is identical with that of normal soil in magnitude after anti-seepage repairing accomplished, which indicates this model is effective.

Technical Progress on Researches for the Safety of High Concrete-Faced Rockfill Dams

The concrete-faced rockfill dam(CFRD) is an important dam type in the selection of high dams to be constructed in Western China,owing to its direct utilization of local materials,good adaptability,and distinct economic advantages.Over the past decades,China has gained successful experience in the construction of 200 m CFRDs,providing the necessary technical accumulation for the development of 250–300 m ultra-high CFRDs.This paper summarizes these successful experiences and analyzes the problems of a number of major 200 m CFRDs around the world.In addition,it discusses the key technologies and latest research progress regarding safety in the construction of 250–300 m ultra-high CFRDs,and suggests focuses and general ideas for future research.

Auto Identification of Rolling Layers in Roller-Compacted Concrete Dam

A scheme for identifying rolling layers in roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam automatically was presented. First, a conceptual model was developed. Second, by using a computational geometry method, the auto identification of rolling layers and auto matching between rolling compaction machines and rolling layers were realized based on spatial control points. An application to the construction of Guandi RCC dam showed that the auto identification of rolling layers played an important role in ensuring the engineering quality.

Fluid solid coupling model based on endochronic damage for roller compacted concrete dam

According to the characteristics of thin-layer rolling and pouting construction technology and the complicated mechanical behavior of the roller compacted concrete dam （RCCD） construction interface, a constitutive model of endochronic damage was established based on the endochronic theory and damage mechanics. The proposed model abandons the traditional concept of elastic-plastic yield surface and can better reflect the real behavior of rolled control concrete. Basic equations were proposed for the fluid-solid coupling analysis, and the relationships among the corresponding key physical parameters were also put forward. One three-dimensional finite element method （FEM） program was obtained by studying the FEM type of the seepage-stress coupling intersection of the RCCD. The method was applied to an actual project, and the results show that the fluid-solid interaction influences dam deformation and dam abutment stability, which is in accordance with practice. Therefore, this model provides a new method for revealing the mechanical behavior of RCCD under the coupling field.

GPS Real Time Supervisory System and Application in the Construction of Face Rockfill Dam

According to the quality control needs of filling construction of the face rockfill dam, by means of the global satellite positioning technology, the wireless data communication technology, the computer technology and the data processing and analysis technology, and integrating with the roller compaction machine, the GPS real time supervisory system is developed in this paper. It can be used to real timely supervise the construction quality of the roller compaction for filling engineering. The composition and applied characteristics of GPS system, and the key technique problem and solution of the design are discussed. The height accuracy of GPS system is analyzed and the preliminary application is introduced.

Major Technologies for Safe Construction of High Earth-Rockfill Dams

The earth-rockfill dam is one of the primary dam types in the selection of high dams to be constructed in Western China, since it is characterized by favorable adaptability of the dam foundation; full utilization of local earth, rock, and building-excavated materials; low construction cost; and low cement consumption. Many major technical issues regarding earth-rockfill dams with a height of over 250 m were studied and solved successfully in the construction of the 261.5 m Nuozhadu earth core rockfill dam. This paper describes research achievements and basic conclusions; systematically summarizes the accumulated experiences from the construction of the Nuozhadu Dam and other high earth-rockfill dams; and discusses major technical issues, such as deformation control, seepage control, dam slope stability, safety and control of flood discharging, safety and quality control of dam construction, safety assessments, early warning, and other key technical difficulties. This study also provides a reference and technological support for the future construction of 300 m high earth-rockfill dams.

Practical elasto-plastic damage model for dynamic loading and nonlinear analysis of Koyna concrete dam

The elasto-plastic damage model for concrete under static loading,previously proposed,was extended to account for the concrete strain-rate through viscous regularization of the evolution of the damage variables.In order to describe the energy dissipation by the motion of the structure under dynamic loading,a damping model which only includes stiffness damp stress was proposed and incorporated into the proposed rate dependent model to consider the energy dissipation at the material scale.The proposed model was developed in ABAQUS via UMAT and was verified by the simulations of concrete specimens under both tension and compression uniaxial loading at different strain rates.The nonlinear analysis of Koyna concrete dam under earthquake motions indicates that adding stiffness damp into the constitutive model can significantly enhance the calculation efficiency of the dynamic implicit analysis for greatly improving the numerical stability of the model.Considering strain rate effect in the model can affect the displacement reflection of this structure for slightly enhancing the displacement of the top,and can improve the calculation efficiency for greatly reducing the cost time.

Influence of construction interfaces on dynamic characteristics of roller compacted concrete dams

To study the influence of construction interfaces on dynamic characteristics of roller compacted concrete dams(RCCDs),mechanical properties of construction interfaces are firstly analyzed. Then, the viscous-spring artificial boundary(VSAB) is adopted to simulate the radiation damping of their infinite foundations, and based on the Marc software, a simplified seismic motion input method is presented by the equivalent nodal loads. Finally, based on the practical engineering of a RCC gravity dam, effects of radiation damping and construction interfaces on the dynamic characteristics of dams are investigated in detail. Analysis results show that dynamic response of the RCC gravity dam significantly reduces about 25% when the radiation damping of infinite foundation is considered. Hot interfaces and the normal cold interfaces have little influence on the dynamic response of the RCC gravity dam.However, nonlinear fracture along the cold interfaces at the dam heel will occur under the designed earthquake if the cold interfaces are combined poorly. Therefore, to avoid the fractures along the construction interfaces under the potential super earthquakes,combination quality of the RCC layers should be significantly ensured.

The Cemented Material Dam： A New, Environmentally Friendly Type of Dam

The first author proposed the concept of the cemented material dam （CMD） in 2009. This concept was aimed at building an environmentally friendly dam in a safer and more economical way for both the dam and the area downstream. The concept covers the cemented sand, gravel, and rock dam （CSGRD）, the rockfill concrete （RFC） dam （or the cemented rockfill dam, CRD）, and the cemented soil dam （CSD）. This paper summarizes the concept and principles of the CMD based on studies and practices in projects around the world. It also introduces new developments in the CSGRD, CRD, and CSD.

Seismic Deformation and Seismic Resistance Analysis of Shapai Roller Compacted Concrete Arch Dam Based on Field Monitoring and Dynamic Finite Element Method

Shapai Roller Compacted Concrete(RCC) Arch Dam is the highest RCC arch dam of the 20th century in the world with a maximum height of 132m,and it is the only concrete arch dam near the epicentre of Wenchuan earthquake on May 12th,2008.The seismic damage to the dam and the resistance of the dam has drawn great attention.This paper analyzed the response and resistance of the dam to the seismic wave using numerical simulations with comparison to the monitored data.The field investigation after the earthquake and analysis of insitu data record showed that there was only little variation in the opening size at the dam and foundation interface,transverse joints and inducing joints before and after the earthquake.The overall stability of the dam abutment resistance body was quite good except a little relaxation was observed.The results of the dynamic finite element method(FEM) showed that the sizes of the openings obtained from the numerical modeling are comparable with the monitored values,and the change of the opening size is in millimeter range.This study revealed that Shapai arch dam exhibited high seismic resistance and overload capacity in the Wenchuan earthquake event.The comparison of the monitored and simulated results showed that the numerical method applied in this paper well simulated the seismic response of the dam.The method could be useful in the future application on the safety evaluation of RCC dams.

Nonlinear finite-element-based structural system failure probability analysis methodology for gravity dams considering correlated failure modes

The structural system failure probability(SFP) is a valuable tool for evaluating the global safety level of concrete gravity dams.Traditional methods for estimating the failure probabilities are based on defined mathematical descriptions,namely,limit state functions of failure modes.Several problems are to be solved in the use of traditional methods for gravity dams.One is how to define the limit state function really reflecting the mechanical mechanism of the failure mode;another is how to understand the relationship among failure modes and enable the probability of the whole structure to be determined.Performing SFP analysis for a gravity dam system is a challenging task.This work proposes a novel nonlinear finite-element-based SFP analysis method for gravity dams.Firstly,reasonable nonlinear constitutive modes for dam concrete,concrete/rock interface and rock foundation are respectively introduced according to corresponding mechanical mechanisms.Meanwhile the response surface(RS) method is used to model limit state functions of main failure modes through the Monte Carlo(MC) simulation results of the dam-interface-foundation interaction finite element(FE) analysis.Secondly,a numerical SFP method is studied to compute the probabilities of several failure modes efficiently by simple matrix integration operations.Then,the nonlinear FE-based SFP analysis methodology for gravity dams considering correlated failure modes with the additional sensitivity analysis is proposed.Finally,a comprehensive computational platform for interfacing the proposed method with the open source FE code Code Aster is developed via a freely available MATLAB software tool(FERUM).This methodology is demonstrated by a case study of an existing gravity dam analysis,in which the dominant failure modes are identified,and the corresponding performance functions are established.Then,the dam failure probability of the structural system is obtained by the proposed method considering the correlation relationship of main failure modes on the basis of the mechanical mechanism analysis with the MC-FE simulations.

Methodology for estimating probability of dynamical system's failure for concrete gravity dam

Methodology for the reliability analysis of hydraulic gravity dam is the key technology in current hydropower construction.Reliability analysis for the dynamical dam safety should be divided into two phases:failure mode identification and the calculation of the failure probability.Both of them are studied based on the mathematical statistics and structure reliability theory considering two kinds of uncertainty characters(earthquake variability and material randomness).Firstly,failure mode identification method is established based on the dynamical limit state system and verified through example of Koyna Dam so that the statistical law of progressive failure process in dam body are revealed; Secondly,for the calculation of the failure probability,mathematical model and formula are established according to the characteristics of gravity dam,which include three levels,that is element failure,path failure and system failure.A case study is presented to show the practical application of theoretical method and results of these methods.

Estimation of Concrete Arch Dams Responses in Linear Domain Using Endurance Time Analysis Method

In this paper, Endurance Time Analysis （ETA） method which is a new time-history based dynamic pushover procedure is introduced and its application in linear analysis of concrete arch dams is investigated. In this method the structure is subjected to gradually intensifying acceleration functions and its performance is evaluated based on the length of the time duration that can satisfy required performance criteria. For this purpose Dez arch dam is selected as case study, fluid-structure interaction is taken into account and F.E. model of the system is excited in three performance levels. ETA method gives an approximation of maximum response at the equivalent target time, resulted from analyzing the system based on natural records. Extracted results are displacement, velocity and acceleration of the crest at crown cantilever. Results show using of ETA method can reduce at least 50% in number of analyses and 70% in total time of analyses at the current case. Furthermore, it is found that although the results of the ETA are not exactly consistent with the results of time-history analyses using real ground motions, errors are reasonable and ETA can identify performance levels of the dam with acceptable accuracy.

Engineering Geological Investigations for the Foundations of Large Structures-Examples of a Concrete Dam and a long Bridge in Portugal

The safety of large structures requires adequate foundations, which implies a good knowledge of the geological and geotechnical conditions of the respective ground. In general, that is only possible through engineering geological studies which include proper site investigation techniques, adapted to the nature of the ground (rock mass or soil) and to the associated engineering problems. The paper illustrates the studies carried out for the design of the foundations of Ribeiradio 76 m high concrete gravity dam in a difficult rock mass and of Vasco da Gama Bridge, 13 km long, crossing the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal, through piles 75 m deep.

Application of material strength reserve method to the stability analysis of earth dam of feilaixia multipurpose project

The material strength reserve method is practical in the study of the stability and failure mechanism of earth dam by analysing the development of failure zone of different shear strength parameters of the earth mass of the dam. The stability in the concrete dam and ensemble architecture has got general application while analysing. In combination with Feilaixia Multipurpose Project, application of this method to earth dam stability analysis was studied by plane Finite Element Method(FEM) for the first time. Through plane FEM, we can get the failure mechanism of earth dam and appraise to the security, for operating and managing put forward some reference suggestions.

Bayesian Estimation in Dam Monitoring Networks

A Bayesian estimator with informative prior distributions （a multi-normal and an inverted gamma distribution）, adequate to displacement estimation at dam displacement monitoring networks, is presented. The hyper-parameters of the prior distributions are obtained by Bayesian empirical methods with non-informative meta-priors. The performances of the Bayes estimator and the classical generalized lest squares estimator are compared using two measurements of the horizontal monitoring network of a concrete gravity dam： the Penha Garcia dam （Portugal）. In order to test the robustness of the two estimators, a gross error is added to one of the measured horizontal directions： the Bayes estimator proves to be significantly more robust than the classic maximum likelihood estimator.

Intelligent compaction theory of high roller compacted concrete dam

The concept and realization process of intelligent compaction for the construction of high roller compacted concrete dam were presented, as well as the theory of monitoring and intelligent feedback control. Based on the real-time analysis of the compaction index, a multiple regression model of the dam compactness was established and a realime estimation method of compaction quality for the entire work area of roller compacted concrete dam was proposed finally. The adaptive adjustment of the roiling process parameters was achieved, with the speed, the exciting force, the roller pass and the compaction thickness meeting the standards during the whole construction process. As a result, the compaction quality and construction efficiency can be improved. The research provides a new way for the construction quality control of roller compacted concrete dam.

Study on Life Prediction Model of Concrete Dam Based on Dry Zoning and Damage Theory

Concrete dam construction, reservoir impoundment and operation are a complicated and long-term process. During the course of this process dam suffers lots of factors including changing temperature, humidity, deformation, loads and restraints around dam. With time going by, damage to darn concrete happens. As a result, the strength, stiffness and resistance of concrete will decrease accompanying with damage accumulation and dam structure performance behavior and lifetime will be shorten or even destructed. At present, most of researches focus on concrete material itself and seldom consider effects of water content for concrete structures. That is apparently inconsistent with the actual situation. In engineering practice, it is urgently needed to assess existing dam structure damage state considering dry zoning in concrete. Through taking C30 dam concrete as standard specimen, alternate freezing and thawing tests are undertaken and changing law of time-dependent concrete damage state resulting in alternate wetting and drying has been studied in this paper. And then calculation formulas of time-dependent concrete damage evolution process considering alternate wetting and drying under condition of freeze-thaw cycle tests are established. Combining with four parameters Hsieh-Ting-Chen （ H -T-C ） model, some relevant factors or parameters are obtained through indoor testing and life prediction model of concrete dam based on dry zoning and damage theory is put forward which provides technical supports for dam safety evaluation and management of sustainable development.

Integrated Geophysical and Geotechnical Investigations for Earth Dam along Dansak River, Upper Shemankar River Basin, Jos Plateau, Central Nigeria

A total of 60 VES （geo-electrical resistivity soundings） and ten exploratory core holes （boreholes） were carried out along the axis of a proposed earth dam site as part of an overall geotechnical investigation for the design and construction of an earth dam along Dansak River, Shemankar River Basin, Jos Plateau, Nigeria. The geophysical interpretation revealed four to five geo-electric layers corresponding to lithologic units （1） topsoil from 0-2 m with a resistivity value of 〈 100-320 ohm-m, （2） weathered/slightly weathered basalt fi＇om 0.6 m to 20 m characterized by resistivity value of 27-130 ohm-m, followed by （3） basalt/fractured basalts with resistivity value of 130-400 ohm-m and （4） the basement rocks with resistivity value 〉 320 ohm-m to 3,021 ohm-m. Exploratory borehole drilling encountered a series of lithologic units viz： overburden （clay, silt and sand） weathered basalt, slightly weathered basalt, fresh/fractured basalts, weathered migmatite and migmatites/migmatite gneiss. Exploratory core analysis in terms of CR （core recovery） and RQD （rock quality designation） revealed an average of 70%-90% and 75%-90%, respectively. Lugeon test gave Lugeon values of 1-5 for the ten core holes. However, fractures with Lugeon value from 〉 5-15 lugeon were encountered on borehole numbers BH 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Grouting is recommended to seal this shallow to medium depth （0-15 m） fractures to reduce or eliminate possible seepage when the dam is constructed. The rock mass index grading for the dam axis ranges from good to excellent.