Seismic Analysis of Gravity Dams.
Abstract
This study evaluated methods for analyzing the stability of concrete gravity dams with respect to tensile cracking under the dynamic loadings caused by earthquakes. The effects of the interaction of hydrodynamic and inertial loads were investigated by comparing the evaluation of each method of analysis with the results produced by the well-known program EADHI. A new simplified method of analysis was developed using the finite element method of analysis to determine the dam's inertial response along with Chopra's simplified procedure for estimating the hydrodynamic loading. This new approach was implemented in a user-friendly computer program. The program was tested against a wide variety of problems and found to produce acceptable results. A sample run using this program via the time-sharing system on the WES computer is included in this report along with the results of the evaluations and a listing of the program. Keywords: Dams; Dynamic response; Earthquake engineering; Finite element analysis; Gravity dam stability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA176899
Entities
People
- James B. Cheek
- Robert A. Cole