Application of Dormant Reliability Analysis to Spillways

Abstract

AbstractDams are essential infrastructures for water supply, flood control, energy production, and irrigation. A critical component for the safety of a dam is the spillway system which, by controlling releases, prevents overtopping of the dam. This in turn reduces impacts associated with excessive downstream flows and upstream water levels on infrastructures, the population, and the environment. This paper addresses reliability issues related to emergency spillways and specifically the estimation of their reliability level after prolonged periods of dormancy. During dormancy, spillway components are exposed to the environment and sustain cumulative damage that may trigger latent failures or failures on demand. Regular inspections and tests are used to detect and remediate latent failures and to assess the level of deterioration of components. The purpose of this study is to develop procedures to account for dormancy in the reliability analysis of spillways. It also demonstrates how these procedures can be...