Fluid–foundation interaction in the seismic response of gravity dams

The seismic response of a dam is strongly influenced by its interaction with the water reservoir and the foundation. The hydrodynamic forces in the reservoir are in turn affected by radiation of waves towards infinity, wave absorption at the reservoir bottom, and cross-coupling between the foundation below the dam and the reservoir bottom. The fluid–foundation interaction effect, i.e. the wave absorption along the reservoir bottom, can be accounted for by using either an approximate one-dimensional (1D) wave propagation model or a rigorous analysis of interaction between the flexible soil along the base and the water. The rigorous approach requires enormous computational effort because of (a) cross-coupling between the foundation of the dam and the soil below the reservoir and (b) frequency dependence of the boundary condition along the fluid-foundation interface. The analysis can be simplified by ignoring the cross-coupling and by using the approximate 1D wave propagation model. The effects of each of these two simplifications on the accuracy and computational efficiency of the procedure used for the seismic response analysis of a dam are examined. Analytical results are presented for the complex frequency-response functions as well as the time histories of the response of Pine Flat dam to Taft and E1 Centro ground motions.     

Effects of reservoir bottom absorption and dam-water-foundation rock interaction on frequency response functions for concrete gravity dams

The linear response of an idealized concrete gravity dam monolith to harmonic horizontal or vertical ground motion is presented for a range of the important system parameters that characterize the properties of the dam, foundation rock, impounded water and reservoir bottom materials. Based on these frequency response functions, the effects of alluvium and sediments at the reservoir bottom on the response of the dam, including its interaction with the impounded water and foundation rock, are investigated. It is shown that the partial absorption of hydrodynamic pressure waves by the reservoir bottom materials has an important effect on the dynamic response of concrete gravity dams.     

Effect of impervious members and reservoir bottom sediment on dynamic response of embankment dams

In this paper, a systematic investigation into the effect of both the type of impervious members and the reservoir bottom sediment on the dynamic response of embankment dams has been carried out using the finite and infinite element coupled method. It has been demonstrated from the numerical results that: (1) the resonant frequencies of an embankment dam—foundation system with an upstream inclined concrete apron are different from those with a central clay core; (2) the type of impervious members has a significant influence on the amplification factors of the system in the low frequency range of excitation, but has little effect in the high frequency range of excitation; (3) the foundation material of an embankment dam affects the dynamic response of the dam drastically; (4) the inclusion of the reservoir bottom sediment has a considerable effect on amplification factors of embankment dams in the case of P-wave incidences, but has little influence in the case of SV-wave vertical incidences; and (5) the reservoir bottom sediment also has a profound effect on the deformed shape of the embankment dam for both P-wave and SV-wave incidences.     

A non-reflecting boundary condition for the finite element modeling of infinite reservoir with layered sediment

The design of seismic resistant concrete gravity dam necessitates accurate determination of hydrodynamic pressure developed in the adjacent reservoir. The hydrodynamic pressure developed on structure is dependent on the physical characteristics of the boundaries surrounding the reservoir including reservoir bottom. The sedimentary material in the reservoir bottom absorbs energy at the bottom, which will affect the hydrodynamic pressure at the upstream face of the dam. The fundamental parameter characterizing the effect of absorption of hydrodynamic pressure waves at the reservoir bottom due to sediment is the reflection coefficient. The wave reflection coefficient is determined from parameters based on sediment layer thickness, its material properties and excitation frequencies. An analytical or a closed-form solution cannot account for the arbitrary geometry of the dam or reservoir bed profile. This problem can be efficiently tackled with finite element technique. The need for an accurate truncation boundary is felt to reduce the computational domain of the unbounded reservoir system. An efficient truncation boundary condition (TBC) which accounts for the reservoir bottom effect is proposed for the finite element analysis of infinite reservoir. The results show the efficiency of the proposed truncation boundary condition.     

Effect of reservoir bottom on earthquake response of concrete dams

The absorption of hydrodynamic pressure waves at the reservoir bottom has dominant effects on the structural response of the dam when subjected to ground motion. In the present study, a model is proposed for the absorption effects of the reservoir bottom in the earthquake analysis of dams. The model utilizes the wave reflection coefficient approach and is based on the solution of the wave equation in a sediment layer of viscoelastic material with a constant thickness overlying an elastic, semi-infinite foundation. Numerical studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of the sediment layer thickness and material properties as well as the effect of reflection of waves from the underlying rock. It is shown that the current approach of assuming the wave reflection coefficient at the reservoir bottom based on the characteristics of the sediment material and excluding the effect of the reflected waves from the underlying rock, may significantly underestimate the seismic response of the dam.     

Application of perfectly matched layers in the transient analysis of dam–reservoir systems

The transient analysis of dam–reservoir systems by employing perfectly matched layers has been investigated. In previous studies, boundary conditions of the PML region in the reservoir have been neglected. In this paper, they are incorporated completely in the formulation. Moreover, a technique is introduced to involve the effect of incident waves caused by vertical ground motions at the reservoir bottom in the analysis. Performing several numerical experiments indicates that applying boundary conditions of the PML domain and utilizing the proposed method for vertical excitation cases reduce the computational cost significantly and make the PML method a very efficient approach for the transient analysis of dam–reservoir systems.     

Experimental study of seismic overloading of large arch dam

A dynamic overloading model test has been carried out on a shaking table for an arch dam of 278 m in height to investigate its behaviours under strong earthquake. The model system included the arch dam with contraction joints, part of reservoir, partial foundation rock with topographic feature near the dam. A damping boundary consisting of viscous liquid has been used to simulate the effect of dynamic energy emission to far field, which made the dynamic interaction between dam and foundation in model arch dam system be represented properly. Three sets of different seismic waves of design level have been used as the input to investigate the difference in the responses of arch dam. Artificial waves of different levels have been used to verify the behaviours of arch dam under seismic overloading. Since the opening of joints during strong earthquake reduced the response acceleration and tensile arch stress, cantilever stress on downstream face exceeded the tensile strength first for the model dam. And the arch dam responded in a non‐linear way when input seismic load increased. Some cracks appeared near abutments, and the damage made the natural frequency of arch dam to drop obviously, but the static function did not seem to change for the model tested. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of near-fault and far-fault ground motions on nonlinear dynamic response and seismic damage of concrete gravity dams

As the forward directivity and fling effect characteristics of the near-fault ground motions, seismic response of structures in the near field of a rupturing fault can be significantly different from those observed in the far field. The unique characteristics of the near-fault ground motions can cause considerable damage during an earthquake. This paper presents results of a study aimed at evaluating the near-fault and far-fault ground motion effects on nonlinear dynamic response and seismic damage of concrete gravity dams including dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. For this purpose, 10 as-recorded earthquake records which display ground motions with an apparent velocity pulse are selected to represent the near-fault ground motion characteristics. The earthquake ground motions recorded at the same site from other events that the epicenter far away from the site are employed as the far-fault ground motions. The Koyna gravity dam, which is selected as a numerical application, is subjected to a set of as-recorded near-fault and far-fault strong ground motion records. The Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) model including the strain hardening or softening behavior is employed in nonlinear analysis. Nonlinear dynamic response and seismic damage analyses of the selected concrete dam subjected to both near-fault and far-fault ground motions are performed. Both local and global damage indices are established as the response parameters. The results obtained from the analyses of the dam subjected to each fault effect are compared with each other. It is seen from the analysis results that the near-fault ground motions, which have significant influence on the dynamic response of dam–reservoir–foundation systems, have the potential to cause more severe damage to the dam body than far-fault ground motions.     

深厚库底回填料上面板堆石坝动力反应分析

深厚库底回填料是影响面板堆石坝动力响应的重要因素之一。为深入研究深厚库底回填料对面板堆石坝动力响应的影响,基于某拟建抽水蓄能电站,采用三维动力有限元分析系统研究其上库面板坝的地震反应,主要包括坝体加速度、面板动力响应、接缝变位情况以及库底防渗土工膜的动应变等。计算结果表明:由于库底回填料的存在,坝体加速度放大效应被明显削弱;面板周边以受拉为主,中部大部分区域受压;垂直缝呈现出周边张开、中间闭合的趋势;土工膜的顺河向和坝轴向的动拉应变皆小于屈服应变,最大应变出现在库底材料分界处,为提高坝体渗透安全性,建议对主堆石区与连接板相接处的回填料进行适当范围换填的处理措施。研究成果可以为类似工程提供参考。     

Effects of sedimentary material on the response of concrete gravity dams

The transient response of a concrete gravity dam to a selected earthquake record is determined in order to evaluate the significance of the sedimentary material accumulating on the bottom of the reservoir. The sediment is modelled as a two-phase medium (fluid-filled, poroelastic solid), and the analysis is carried out accounting for all interactions between system components (dam, water, sediment, foundation).     

考虑流固耦合效应的辽宁葠窝水库溢流坝段抗震性能分析

针对辽宁葠窝水库混凝土重力坝抗震问题,采用耦合的拉格朗日-欧拉有限元分析技术,建立了可考虑库水-坝体-基岩动力耦合效应的典型溢流坝段抗震分析数值模型。模型中,采用等效一致粘弹性边界模拟基岩的人工截断边界;采用混凝土弥散裂缝本构模型模拟混凝土的动力特性。根据烈度与地震动之间的关系,确定了水库坝体抗震设计的输入加速度峰值。据此,分析了在不同季节水位变化条件下坝体地震反应的基本特性。研究表明：完好的辽宁葠窝水库混凝土重力坝溢流坝段能满足8度的抗震设防烈度要求。地震下溢流坝段峰值位移出现在胖坝和瘦坝的坝顶迎水面位置处,胖坝的动位移较瘦坝动位移大。胖坝在闸墩与溢流堰交接处出现了拉应力最大值。有库水条件下,瘦坝峰值拉应力出现在坝趾处,无库水条件下,瘦坝最大拉应力出现在溢流堰与闸墩交接处。     

汶川地震震损水库土坝动力反应与几何坝形的经验关系

在5·12汶川地震后的四川省水库土坝震害调查成果的基础上,选取汶川地震中受损的有完整资料的96座水库土坝为研究对象,应用等效线性模型对土坝进行了二维动力反应分析。选择3条有代表性的汶川地震实测记录,以三水准峰值加速度输入,得到土坝的动力反应（放大系数、最大动剪应力）与土坝几何形状（宽高比、上游坡比、坝高）间的经验关系。结果表明,土坝放大系数和最大动剪应力随着宽高比和上游坡比的增大而减小,随着坝高的增大而增大;输入波的频谱和峰值强度均对土坝动力反应与其几何形状的经验关系有重要影响。     

Effects of reservoir bottom absorption on earthquake response of concrete gravity dams

A procedure is presented to analyse the response of concrete gravity dams due to horizontal and vertical earthquake ground motion components considering dam-water interaction and partial absorption of hydrodynamic pressure waves at the reservoir bottom into the foundation medium. The effects of reservoir bottom absorption on the hydrodynamic force on a rigid dam are examined first. The harmonic response of an idealized dam cross-section is presented for a wide range of parameters characterizing the properties of the dam, the impounded water and the foundation medium. Based on these frequency response functions the effects of dam-water interaction and of reservoir bottom absorption in the response of dams due to horizontal and vertical components of ground motion are investigated.     

Dynamics of submerged intake towers including interaction with dam and foundation

The dynamics of a coupled concrete gravity dam-intake tower–reservoir water–foundation rock system is numerically studied considering two hollow slender towers submerged in reservoir of gravity dam. The system is investigated in the frequency-domain using frequency response functions of the dam and the towers, and in the time-domain using time-history seismic analysis under a real earthquake ground motion. The analyzes are separately conducted under horizontal and vertical ground motions. The coupled system is three-dimensionally modeled using finite elements by Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. It is shown that presence of the dam significantly influences the dynamic response of the towers under both horizontal and vertical excitations; however the dam is not affected by the towers. When the dam is present in the model, the water contained inside the towers has different effects if the foundation is rigid, but it alleviates the towers motion if the foundation is flexible. It is concluded that the effects of foundation interaction are of much importance in the response of tall slender towers when they are located near concrete gravity dams.     

基于强震监测记录的冶勒大坝动力反应特性初步分析

冶勒沥青混凝土心墙堆石坝最大坝高为124.5m,坝址区地震烈度高,地质条件复杂。大坝上布设了9台强震仪组成的强震监测台阵,自2005年12月开始投入运行至2014年12月底共获得有效记录57次,其中包括汶川地震、攀枝花地震和芦山地震记录。对典型强震记录进行时域分析和频谱分析,初步总结了冶勒大坝的动力反应特性。研究结果表明,大坝坝顶部位的动力反应主要以放大为主,并且随着底部PGA的减小,坝体放大倍数明显增大;由于地震动本身震源特性、传播途径的差异,大坝在不同地震中动力反应的频谱特性明显不同,但多次记录均显示土石坝体有较为明显的滤波作用。     

Surface water–groundwater interactions of Xiluodu Reservoir based on the dynamic evolution of seepage,temperature, and hydrochemistry due to impoundment

Reservoir construction greatly affects the regional ecological environment, particularly surface water–groundwater interactions around the reservoir. Xiluodu Reservoir, a representative large-scale reservoir in China, has had substantial impacts on surface water–groundwater interactions at the dam site since impoundment. This study analysed the dynamic characteristics of surface water–groundwater level, temperature, and hydrochemistry to determine the evolution of surface water–groundwater interaction before and after the impoundment. The levels of groundwater and some surface water rose by more than 100 m after impoundment and the water level of saturated limestone gradually stabilized, whereas basalt saturation in the affected area continued to expand. The groundwater temperature did not decrease significantly, whereas the hydrochemical types and ion contents of both surface water and groundwater experienced significant changes. Calculation of the saturation index indicated spatiotemporal changes in the saturation state of minerals. The replenishment source of each type of water and their mutual relationships were determined using cluster analysis and isotope characteristics. The results confirmed continuous, significant, and variable surface water–groundwater interactions at the dam site, which were partially reversed after impoundment. Changes in surface water–groundwater interactions were due to impoundment, the impact of which decreases with distance from the dam, as well as the unique geological conditions and artificial construction.     

Three‐dimensional models of reservoir sediment and effects on the seismic response of arch dams

The important effects of bottom sediments on the seismic response of arch dams are studied in this paper. To do so, a three‐dimensional boundary element model is used. It includes the water reservoir as a compressible fluid, the dam and unbounded foundation rock as viscoelastic solids, and the bottom sediment as a two‐phase poroelastic domain with dynamic behaviour described by Biot's equations. Dynamic interaction among all those regions, local topography and travelling wave effects are taken into account. The results obtained show the important influence of sediment compressibility and permeability on the seismic response. The former is associated with a general change of the system response whereas the permeability has a significant influence on damping at resonance peaks. The analysis is carried out in the frequency domain considering time harmonic excitation due to P and S plane waves. The time‐domain results obtained by using the Fourier transform for a given earthquake accelerogram are also shown. The possibility of using simplified models to represent the bottom sediment effects is discussed in the paper. Two alternative models for porous sediment are tested. Simplified models are shown to be able to reproduce the effects of porous sediments except for very high permeability values. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of earthquake excited dam-reservoirs with irregular geometries using an immersed boundary method

In this work, a ghost-cell immersed boundary method is proposed for the hydrodynamic response of earthquake excited dam-reservoirs. The numerical method employs a second order accurate two-step projection algorithm including compressibility effects in pressure field due to earthquake. The effects of reservoir bottom absorption are treated by introducing damping terms into the momentum equations. Hydrodynamic response of earthquake excited dam with a sloping face is simulated to demonstrate the accuracy of the present numerical method. Numerical results compared with previous numerical and analytical solutions show that the present immersed boundary method can accurately compute the hydrodynamic forces on inclined and curved dam faces including the effects of water compressibility and reservoir bottom absorption for the possibility of resonance. The proposed numerical method was shown to have significant advantages in computational time and memory usage for the hydrodynamic simulation of large dam-reservoirs with arbitrary geometries. Hydrodynamic forces on a double curvature arch dam subjected to real earthquake induced ground motion are also simulated to demonstrate the capability of the method.     

Full-scale experimental modal analysis of an arch dam: The first experience in Iran

Forced vibration field tests and finite-element studies were conducted on the Shahid Rajaee concrete arch dam in Northern Iran to determine the dynamic properties of the dam–reservoir–foundation system. The first forced vibration tests on the dam were performed with two different types of exciter units, with a limited maximum force, bolted on the dam crest for alternative in-phase and out-of-phase sequencing. Because of an insufficient number of recording sensors, two arrangements of sensors were used to cover sufficient points on the dam crest and one gallery during tests. Two kinds of vibration tests, on–off and frequency sweeping, were carried out on the dam. The primary natural frequencies of the coupled system for both symmetric and anti-symmetric vibration modes were approximated during on–off tests in two types of sequencing of exciters, in phase and out-of-phase, with a maximum frequency of 14 Hz. The principal forced vibration tests were performed at precise resonant frequencies based on the results of the on–off tests in which sweeping around the approximated frequencies at 0.1 Hz increments was performed. Baseline correction and suitable bandpass filtering were applied to the test records and then signal processing was carried out to compute the auto power, cross power and coherence spectra. Nine middle modes of vibration of the coupled system and corresponding damping ratios were estimated. The empirical results are compared against the results from calibrated finite-element modeling of the system using former ambient vibration tests, considering the dam–reservoir–foundation interaction effects. Good agreement is obtained between experimental and numerical results for eight middle modes of the dam–reservoir–foundation system.     

Optimization of the Sefid-Roud Dam desiltation process using a sophisticated one-dimensional numerical model

Although water and soil conservation activities reduce reservoir sedimentation, it is inevitable that reservoirs fed by rivers transporting high amounts of sediment will experience sedimentation. The Ghezel-Ozan and Shah-Roud rivers, which flow to the Sefld-Roud reservoir dam, are both highly sediment-laden and transport significant amounts of sediment in both bed load and suspended load forms to the reservoir. Hence, it seems that the only practical way to remove the sediment from the reservoir is to flush it out using the Chasse method. In the present paper, field measurements of Chasse operation characteristics taken in previous years are presented, and a numerical model that simulates this process is introduced. After calibrating the model using field measured data, the calculated results （for reservoir pressure flushing and released sediment volume） of the numerical model were compared with other measured data for the same Chasse operation and the results agree well. Finally, using the numerical simulation results, the best approaches to ensure highly effective flushing while conserving reservoir water are presented （at least for the Sefid-Roud dam）. The operation of the bottom outlet gates, the shape of the output hydrograph, and the reservoir water level variation during flushing were optimized. In addition, the numerical model and related parameters, which need to be calibrated, are discussed.