Reliability assessment of granular filters in embankment dams

Empirical criteria have been used successfully to design filters of most embankment large dam projects throughout the world. However, these empirical rules are only applicable to a particular range of soils tested in laboratory and do not take into account the variability of the base material and filter particle sizes. In addition, it is widely accepted that the safety of fill dams is mainly dependent on the reliability of their filter performance. The work herein presented consists in a new general method for assessing the probability of fulfilling any empirical filter design criteria accounting for base and filter heterogeneity by means of first‐order reliability methods (FORM), so that reliability indexes and probabilities of fulfilling any particular criteria are obtained. This method will allow engineers to estimate the safety of existing filters in terms of probability of fulfilling their design criteria and might also be used as a decision tool on sampling needs and material size tolerances during construction. In addition, sensitivity analysis makes possible to analyse how reliabilities are influenced by different sources of input data. Finally, in case of a portfolio risk assessment, this method will allow engineers to compare the safety of several existing dams in order to prioritize safety investments and it is expected to be a very useful tool to evaluate probabilities of failure due to internal erosion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection and evaluation of horizontal fractures in earth dams using the self-potential method

The self-potential method can be applied to evaluate the degree of water seepage into earth or rockfill dams. Spatial distribution of measured self-potential data can indicate possible anomalous water flow. Phenomena, such as piping, can be modelled as cylindrical bodies. Internal erosion can develop structures, which can be represented by a sphere or point source. Differential settlement in the dam structure occasionally creates horizontal fractures, which require equivalent geometrical body formula. An equation, which allows the calculation of a self-potential profile over a horizontal contact, was developed. This equation can also be applied to the inspection of water flow into horizontal drainage filters. When inverse interpretation returns bodies of relatively small amplitudes, then their probability can be tested statistically. A test, based on cross-correlation between a modelled curve and field data, can be used to evaluate their existence at a given probability level. An acceptance criterion is computed, using the concept of likelihood coefficient. The equation was applied to two case histories. The first is an example of water flow evaluation into a horizontal drainage filter. Several anomalous bodies were interpreted from residual self-potential data, i.e. from the difference between the theoretical response of the filter and the measured self-potential values, then, most of the interpreted bodies were statistically tested. The second case deals with detection and evaluation of a horizontal fissure. The interpreted parameters of the detected body corresponded well to a horizontal fracture found when the water level in the reservoir was lowered.     

Peak discharge of a Pleistocene lava-dam outburst flood in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

The failure of a lava dam 165,000 yr ago produced the largest known flood on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. The Hyaloclastite Dam was up to 366 m high, and geochemical evidence linked this structure to outburst-flood deposits that occurred for 32 km downstream. Using the Hyaloclastite outburst-flood deposits as paleostage indicators, we used dam-failure and unsteady flow modeling to estimate a peak discharge and flow hydrograph. Failure of the Hyaloclastite Dam released a maximum 11 × 10⁹ m³ of water in 31 h. Peak discharges, estimated from uncertainty in channel geometry, dam height, and hydraulic characteristics, ranged from 2.3 to 5.3 × 10⁵ m³ s⁻¹ for the Hyaloclastite outburst flood. This discharge is an order of magnitude greater than the largest known discharge on the Colorado River (1.4 × 10⁴ m³ s⁻¹) and the largest peak discharge resulting from failure of a constructed dam in the USA (6.5 × 10⁴ m³ s⁻¹). Moreover, the Hyaloclastite outburst flood is the oldest documented Quaternary flood and one of the largest to have occurred in the continental USA. The peak discharge for this flood ranks in the top 30 floods (>10⁵ m³ s⁻¹) known worldwide and in the top ten largest floods in North America.     

龙首二级面板堆石坝三维真非线性地震反应分析和评价

基于土石料三维粘弹塑性动力本构模型,并采用新型三维各向异性有厚度薄单元来模拟面板和堆石的接触面特性,建立了高面板堆石坝地震反应分析的三维真非线性动力分析方法.利用坝料动力特性的大型三轴试验成果,分析计算了龙首二级(西流水)面板堆石坝的地震反应,主要包括加速度反应、堆石体应力反应及坝体单元抗震安全系数、面板应力反应和变形及接缝位移、高趾墙动力反应等.为大坝的抗震设计提供了有力的技术依据.     

Channel Bed Mobility Downstream from the Elwha Dams,Washington*

Dams are a major source of fragmentation and degradation of rivers. Although substantial research has been conducted on the environmental impacts of large structures in the United States, smaller dams have received less attention. This study evaluated the impact of two dams of moderate size, the Elwha Dams, on the downstream channel system using field data collection at river cross‐sections. The relationship of average boundary shear stress (τ_o) to critical shear stress (τ_cr) served as the basis for determining channel bed material mobility under the two‐year and ten‐year flood events. The channel had the greatest channel bed mobility at the natural cross‐section upstream from the dams, low bed mobility between the structures, and an increase in channel bed mobility in the low gradient river segment near the mouth of the river. Low bed mobility tended to be associated with a lack of channel system complexity, including reduction or loss of bars and low alluvial terraces and their associated young riparian communities. Although these run‐of‐the‐river dams do not modify streamflow greatly, the loss of sediment from the channel system has had a substantial impact on bed mobility and geomorphic and biotic complexity of the Elwha River.     

Annihilation of both place and sense of place: the experience of the Cheslatta T'En Canadian First Nation within the context of large-scale environmental projects

The water resources of Canada are today, and have always been, of major importance to the welfare of Canadians. Throughout most of Canada's history, these resources have been viewed within a supply–management framework and, frequently, exploited through the construction of 'megaprojects', often with little or no concern for issues such as environmental harm and social and community disruption. As in many parts of the world, those most affected by such large-scale water resource developments have been aboriginals (in Canada, 'First Nations' peoples). Although the issues of environmental, social and economic damage to First Nations as a result of water megaprojects have been investigated, little has been written about the impact of such projects – especially dam construction – on the loss of sense of place of deracinated peoples. This paper investigates one example of such loss of sense of place, that of the Cheslatta T'En forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in the 1950s so as to allow for the construction of a private hydroelectric dam by the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan).     

"虚拟水"理论及其在中国的实践应用初步研究

“虚拟水”是国际上20世纪90年代初提出来的一个新概念,它主要是指缺水国家通过进口粮食而实现本国的水资源安全。中东和北非地区事实上已经实施了“虚拟水”战略,以保障当地的水资源安全。中国疆域辽阔,水资源分布时空不均衡性明显,通过对2000年中国各省(市)进出口粮食情况的分析发现,中国各省(市)之间已存在“虚拟水”现象,将各省(市)“虚拟水”进出口量与当地的水资源情况进行对比分析,从中可以发现中国各省(市)进出口“虚拟水”有4种表现形式,出现这些表现形式有多方面的原因。     

Hydrological characterization of dammed rivers in the NW Mediterranean region

Water scarcity and climatic variability in the Mediterranean region have traditionally required the construction of dams to guarantee water supply for irrigation, industrial and urban uses and hydropower production. Reservoirs affect the hydrology of the river downstream, but the magnitude and persistence of these effects are still poorly unknown. Understanding the magnitude of these effects is the objective of this paper, in which we analyse the flow regimes of twelve rivers located in the NW Mediterranean region. Different temporal scales (daily, monthly and annual) are used for the analysis and also to estimate flow variables associated with flow magnitude, frequency, duration and variability. It is shown that dams alter the hydrological regime of most of the studied rivers, with special influence on monthly flows and flood magnitude and frequency. The most altered rivers (Muga and Siurana, NE Iberian Peninsula) experience a complete overturn in their flow regime with, for instance, flood reduction reaching up to 76% for the 2‐year flood event. Other rivers showed lower changes in hydrology (e.g. Orb and Têt). Annual runoff showed a pattern of decrease in all the studied rivers (regulated and non‐regulated) indicating that besides dams (i.e. reservoir evaporation), other factors likely affect water yield. A general recovery downstream from dams is also observed at all temporal scales, mainly because of the inflow from tributaries. Although dams have a clear impact on the hydrology of Mediterranean rivers, water withdrawals and diversions for irrigation and other consumptive uses also affected the hydrological patterns. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

新疆及中亚地区斜坡灾害研究现状与展望

新疆和中亚五国山河相连,都是"一带一路"建设的重要支点,但也是滑坡、泥石流等斜坡灾害的高发区,且两地的地质灾害发育有着明显的共性.本文对新疆和中亚地区的斜坡灾害研究现状进行综述,分析了两地斜坡灾害形成机理、发育规律,即中高山地分布集中,受降雨和冰雪融水影响很大,黄土滑坡发育.新疆的斜坡灾害研究多围绕公路、水利等工程设施...     

基于激光雷达测风数据的复杂地形下风力机尾流特性研究

以张家口某处风电场为实验场地,采用两台多普勒激光雷达(Wind3D 6000和WindMast WP350)分别测量风力机的尾流和来流风速,对全尾流、半尾流和独立尾流3种工况进行研究。结果表明,3种工况下随着尾流发展尾流宽度均不断变大,而尾流深度和速度衰减则不断减小;全尾流和半尾流工况中,上游风力机的存在会增加下游风力机尾流宽度,且全尾流比半尾流的增加量大;全尾流和半尾流工况中,相较于上游风力机,下游风力机尾流深度和速度衰减均较小。