Automating stability analysis for concrete gravity dams

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Hydro Review; (United States)

OSTI ID:6203588

Barrett, P R ^[1]; Morris, D I

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1. Computer Aided Engineering Associates, Woodbury, CT (United States)

In an effort to get more realistic stability results, dam owners-with FERC's encouragement-began using actual data collected at their structures in dam safety analyses in the mid-1980s. However, making use of the data was not always easy. The conventional cracked-base analysis method cannot take into account the effects of the dam and foundation stiffnesses. General finite-element software programs for determining dam stability using site-specific data were available, but required a great deal of manipulation, expertise, and time. In early 1987, representatives of utilities, consulting firms, FERC, and federal hydropower producers serving on an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) dam safety advisory committee agreed that a special computer code was needed to bridge the gap between traditional analytical practices and finite-element methods. Consequently, EPRI funded ANATECH Research Corp., a consulting engineer firm in San Diego, California, to develop CG-DAMS. This two-dimensional, finite-element computer code automates the stability analysis process. The menu-driven software prompts the user for input of a specific structure's geometry, loading (using input commands such as reservoir and tailwater elevations), and site-specific material properties in the dam and foundation. The results of the analysis are illustrated in easy-to-use graphical and tabular formats, and can be used to predict crack growth, shear, and normal stresses under normal loading, flood loading, and seismic loading. Although CG-DAMS was designed to respond to FERC's dam stability analysis requirements, it can be useful to any dam owner wanting to make more realistic stability assessments than the conventional cracked-base method that reflect site-specific conditions.

• OSTI ID: 6203588
• Journal Information: Hydro Review; (United States), Vol. 7:4; ISSN 0884-0385
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
DAMS
STABILITY
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
LOAD ANALYSIS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
CALCULATION METHODS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
SIMULATION
130800* - Hydro Energy- Health & Safety- (1990-)
990301 - Information Handling- Data Handling- (1992-)