An advanced method for evaluating the cracking risks of gravity dams during the construction period considering the uncertainty of thermodynamic parameters

Abstract

The thermal stress field of the gravity dam is often simulated in a deterministic way at present, ignoring the effect of spatial variability of parameters, resulting in unreasonable results of the thermal stress field simulation and cracking risk analysis of the dam body. Therefore, based on the random field theory and autocorrelation function, a simulation method for the spatial variability of thermodynamic parameters is proposed in this paper. The agent risk analysis model for the cracking of a gravity dam during the construction period is constructed with the consideration of spatial variability of material parameters, and then an advanced system cracking risk evaluation method for gravity dams during the construction period considering the spatial variability of thermodynamic parameters is formed. The application of the TJ dam illustrates that the temperature control measures proposed according to the analysis results of the deterministic thermal stress field are dangerous, and considering the spatial variability of material parameters has a significant effect on the cracking risk of the dam body. This study gives a more reasonable and realistic cracking risk assessment of the dam, which can provide technical support for the formulation of temperature control measures and cracking risk control of the roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam.