Key Technologies in the Design and Construction of 300 m Ultra-High Arch Dams

Starting with the Ertan arch dam （240 m high, 3300 MW） in 2000, China successfully built a total of seven ultra-high arch dams over 200 m tall by the end of 2014. Among these, the ]inping 1 （305 m）, Xiaowan （294.5m）, and Xiluodu （285.5 m） arch dams have reached the 300 m height level （i.e., near or over 300 m）, making them the tallest arch dams in the world. The design and construction of these 300 m ultra-high arch dams posed significant challenges, due to high water pressures, high seismic de- sign criteria, and complex geological conditions. The engineering team successfully tackled these chal- lenges and made critical breakthroughs, especially in the area of safety control. In this paper, the author summarizes various key technological aspects involved in the design and construction of 300 m ultra- high arch dams, including the strength and stability of foundation rock, excavation of the dam base and surface treatment, dam shape optimization, safety design guidelines, seismic analysis and design, treatment of a complex foundation, concrete temperature control, and crack prevention. The experience gained from these projects should be valuable for future practitioners.

Safety evaluation of replacement reinforcement quality in abutment contact zones of ultra-high arch dam in first impoundment period based on prototype monitoring

Reinforcement quality evaluation at the abutment is an important research direction. Prototype monitoring and theoretical derivation were integrated to study the replacement reinforcement quality in abutment contact zones of the Xiaowan ultra-high arch dam. The principles of monitoring layout and design are introduced in detail. Prototype monitoring shows that the increment of the interfacial compressive stress is much larger in the impoundment stage than in the regulating stage. The water pressure and time-effect are two main factors affeeting the interfacial stress. The time-effect is the key factor in the initial impoundment stage, and the water pressure is the key factor after impoundment. The contact properties are significantly improved by grouting. This study shows that there are three typical stages in the joint opening hydrographs, namely the compression stage, opening stage, and stable stage. There is a nonlinear relationship between the joint opening and temperature, which can be well described by the S-function. In conclusion, the reinforcement effect is satisfying, and the abutment is safe.

Effect of Seismic Permanent Deformation on Safety and Stability of Earth-Rock Dam Slope

In order to study the effect of seismic permanent deformation on the safety and stability of earth-rock dam, the permanent deformation is considered as the non-design permanent load, and the stress-strain hysteresis curve is also considered when the earth is under cyclic load. The research work can make the calculation results of plastic collapse more accurate by including the effect of the post-earthquake degree of plastic deformation on the stability of the earth-rock dam, and the dam safety factor decreases from 2.50 to 1.90 after the magnitude-8 earthquake. Moreover, the research work will also improve the design of the earth-rock dam under abnormal operating conditions.

Dynamic Risk Assessment Index System for Earth-Rock Dam during Construction

During the construction of earth-rock dam,mutual exclusive construction goals such as quality,safety,progress and cost all have influences on each other,with risk factors being everchanging as the construction progresses.Accurate identification of the risk factors,as well as clearing any possible effect that any risk factors might have on the construction project is the key and foundation to our cooperative control of the construction goals.According to the construction planning of earth-rock dam,the hall3 D structure was used to identify the potential changes of risk factors,and the possible means of any risk factors to interfere with the construction goals.The dynamic risk assessment index system is established by deploying the WBS-RBS(work breakdown structurerisk breakdown structure)method,aiming at the construction goals of earth-rock dam.The case study shows that the index system is very effective at risk management of earth-rock dam during construction,and relatively practicable.

Study on life-cycle risk management of high earth-rock dam project

Based on advanced computer technology, internet of things （lOT） technology, project management con- cept and professional technology and combined with the innovative theories, methods and techniques in earlier hy- dropower projects, the life-cycle risk management system of high earth-rock dam project for Nuozhadu project was developed. The system mainly includes digital dam, three-dimensional design, construction quality monito- ring, safety assessment and warning, etc, to integrally manage and analyze the dam design, constructional quality and safety monitoring information. It realized the dynamic updates of the comprehensive information and the safe- ty quality monitoring in the project life cycle, and provided the basic platform for the scientific management of the construction and operation safety of high earth-rock dam. Application in Nuozhadu earth-rock dam showed that construction safety monitoring and warning greatly helped accelerate the construction progress and improve project quality, and provided a new way for the quality safety control of high earth-rock dam.

Characteristics and factors that influenced damage to dams in the M_s 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake

Based on raw data from dams damaged in the Wenchuan earthquake, including many that were severely damaged, characteristics and factors that influenced the damage are discussed in this paper. Findings from this study include： severely damaged dams were densely distributed along the seismologic fault; small dams, especially small earth-rock dams, had the most serious damage that was caused by a variety of factors; the most serious damage was caused by seismic waves; damage was aggregated by aftershocks; and the extent of the damage patterns increased with the seismic intensity. Damage patterns varied in different intensity zones and cracking was the most common type of damage. Most of the dams had a good base with relatively high bearing capacity, and the walls of the earth-rock dams were mostly of clay soil. This type of base and body material mitigated some of the damage to dams. Reservoir maintenance and other factors also have a significant impact on the seismic safety of the dam. Finally, some recommendations to reduce seismic damage to dams are proposed.

特高土石坝首次蓄水期坝基渗控监测分析评价

水库蓄水期的坝基渗流控制效果评价是大坝安全评价的重要组成部分,总结蓄水期坝基渗流变化规律对特高土石坝工程的安全运行意义重大。以中国已建成的300 m级特高土石坝——两河口水电站砾石土心墙堆石坝为例,结合工程布置特点,利用监测成果分析、地质条件分析等手段,分析和讨论蓄水过程中的渗控监测情况,指出了相关问题和可能存在的注意事项,对渗控措施的工程效果进行了评价。首次蓄水期坝基渗流分析表明:蓄水期坝基渗压与库水位的变化存在一定相关性且相关性效应需在一定水头作用下才会显现,坝基渗压变化较库水位变化一般具有滞后性,坝基深部渗压并不一定关联反映水头或水位。相关经验可为后续类似高土石坝建设提供借鉴。

特高土石坝超长距离变形监测技术研究

为研究适用于特高土石坝坝体内部的超长距离变形监测技术手段,分析了现有200 m级高混凝土面板堆石坝变形监测技术存在的问题,研究了水管式沉降仪、杆式位移计、管道机器人、柔性测斜仪等内部变形监测仪器的改进发展方向与应用实践。结果表明:所研究的监测技术可以适应特高土石坝超长距离变形监测需求。研究成果为250 m级至300 m级特高混凝土面板堆石坝的安全监测研究和改进方向提供技术参考。

Breach mechanism and numerical simulation for seepage failure of earth-rock dams

In this study,a numerical model,which can capture the full process of the development of seepage passages,the collapse of dams and the failure due to overtopping,is proposed for earth-rock dams.The critical incipient velocity for the occurrence of seepage failure is derived by analyzing the forces acting on soil particles in the seepage passage.The sediment transport formula is proposed to simulate the erosion process and the evolution of breach within the dam.In this model,the grain size distribution,the compaction density and the strength of dam materials are reasonably accounted for.Furthermore,the influences of the direction of seepage paths,the slope of the dam and the velocity of water flow on the amount of erosion are also taken into consideration.The proposed model and the corresponding numerical programs are employed to simulate the development of breaches and discharge of two typical cases due to seepage failure.The development of breaches,the history of discharge and the peak flood flux predicted by the numerical models are rather comparable to the measured data,which confirms the validity of the proposed model and the feasibility of applying the model in evaluating the disaster consequences and preparing the emergency counter measurements in the case of dam collapse.

RESEARCH ON SEEPAGE MONITORING MODEL OF EARTH-ROCK DAM

With the characteristics of seepage flow in earth-rock dams, a seepagemonitoring model was established based on the finite element method for 3-D seepage flow togetherwith observed data and was used to analyze and monitor the seepage of dams. In order to find out andmonitor the seepage status of the whole dam, the separation of seepage a-mount for dam body, damfoundation and side banks was made theoretically by using the model. Practical example shows thatthe accuracy of computed results is satisfactory and the separation results are more objective.

Key technical innovations in the construction of Baihetan Hydropower Station Project

1 Project positioning Baihetan Hydropower Station is classified as the second of the four hydropower cascades in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River:Wudongde,Baihetan,Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba.As an important backbone project for China to implement the strategy of West-to-East Power Transmission and optimize the energy structure,it constitutes an important part of the Yangtze River flood control system.Located at the junction of Ningnan County,Sichuan Province and Qiaojia County,Yunnan Province,the hydropower station is the largest hydropower project under construction in the world,with a unit capacity of million-kilowatts ranking the highest in the world and a total installed capacity of 16 million kW,second only to the Three Gorges Project,ranking the second in the world.