Thermo-structural monitoring of RCC dam in India through instrumentation

Abstract

The knowledge of the behavior of any roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam and its foundation is gained by studying the service action of the dam and its foundation using measurements of an external and internal nature. The information by which a continuing assurance of structural safety of the RCC dam can be gauged is of primary importance. Similarly, the fact that the information on structural and thermal behavior and the properties of concrete that may be used to give added criteria for use in the design of future RCC dams is of secondary importance. Wide spread attention is now being given to the installation of more expensive instrumentation for studying the behavior of concrete dams and reservoirs and forecasting of any adverse trends. In view of this, the paper traces installation and need of the comprehensive instrumentation scheme implemented to monitor the structural and thermal behavior of 102.4 m high RCC dam constructed near Mumbai in India. An attempt is made in the present paper to emphasize the need to undertake an instrumentation program and evaluate their performance during construction and post construction stage of RCC structures. Few typical results, regarding the thermal and structural behavior of the dam, obtained through instrumentation installed at the dam site are presented and compared with the design considerations. The fair agreement is seen in the response observed through instrumentation with that governing the design criteria.