Dynamic analysis of fill dam using 3D FEM analysis

Abstract

Recently, the number of earthquakes has been rapidly increasing on a global scale; reports of severe earthquakes are becoming more and more frequent. Dam movements are identified in real-time with measuring instruments for dam maintenance. However, for dams that have aged, the measuring instruments that were installed during the dam construction are frequently malfunctioning or completely failing altogether. Precision safety diagnosis is being executed for dams that are national facilities Type 1. During the diagnosis, a safety assessment is conducted for the dam body. Normally, during the analysis of dam safety, the widest cross-section is selected and a two-dimensional numerical analysis is taken place for the cross-section. However, numerous researchers have recently looked into applying the 3-dimensial numerical analysis program developments to precisely analyze the structure of the dam, as well as the surrounding strata, and the lower dam strata. In this study, PLAXIS 3D, a geotechnical generic FEM analysis program, was used to conduct dam safety assessments for earthquakes. The following were compared and analyzed: 1) considering the seismic properties of the dam body with all zoned structures reflected as one rock-fill zone together with the dam body, 2) considering the dam body as the rock-fill zone and the core zone, and 3) the numerical analysis results. Thus, the study was aimed to analyze the impact properties of seismic waves according to the different zones.