Abstract: | Kolkewadi Dam, a masonry gravity dam in India, is under construction at a'site which was considered to be non-seismic at the time of planning and design. Subsequently, some major and minor earthquake shocks have occurred in the area. In view of the earthquake activity in the region, it was necessary to estimate the seismic resistance of the dam. A dynamic analysis of the two highest monoliths of the dam has been carried out, based on the probable ground motion expected at the site, including a simplified analysis, treating the dam as a cantilever beam and a detailed analysis considering two-dimensional behaviour by the finite element method. It is concluded that the dam will be able to safely withstand the severest shock that has occurred in the region. The behaviour of models of one monolith has also been studied experimentally using a shake table. The experimental behaviour of the models compares favourably with the behaviour obtained theoretically, indicating the applicability of the theoretical method of analysis. |