American Journal of Water Science and Engineering

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Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method

Received: 09 August 2019    Accepted: 06 November 2019    Published: 17 November 2019
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Abstract

History shows that several dams were failed and discharged the stored water which causes incalculable damage on life and property. Several researches disclosed that the methods used to design and re-evaluate concrete gravity dams after the 1970s have shown significant advancement. This starts when contemporary structural analysis methods such as a finite element method were incorporated into computer programs. Structural safety evaluation criterion, design standards and guidelines were also updated. Hence, periodical structural safety evaluation of older dams using state of art techniques is an important activity of the dam experts to ensure a safe operation of dams. This study was focused on hydrological and structural safety evaluation of Koka dam by using HEC-HMS and Abaqus models, based on USACE load combination. The Hydrologic Modeling System, HEC-HMS model was calibrated and used to determine the reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow resulted from the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) passes over the spillway. Result of the HEC-HMS model shows that the elevation reached by peak outflow was 1.4m lower than the dam crest which indicates no overtopping of the dam due to PMF. The peak reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow from PMF passes over spillway was used to apply hydrostatic load on the dam. The dam was analyzed by static general method in Abaqus model. The results of Abaqus model indicate that the maximum principal stress in the dam body was under tensile sense near the heel during PMF with the peak magnitude of 0.602MPa. The corresponding minimum principal stress was under compressive sense throughout the base with the peak magnitude of -0.431MPa. All the results were below the compressive and tensile strength, hence, the dam concrete does not fail under PMF due to material overstressing. The aging of concrete, do not change the stress, but displacement. The results of displacement clearly show a significant increment. This result tells that the aging of concrete reduces the stiffness of the dam and increases its flexibility.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12
Published in American Journal of Water Science and Engineering (Volume 5, Issue 4, December 2019)
Page(s) 138-154
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hydrological Safety, Structural Safety, Finite Element, Abaqus, HEC-HMS, Aging, Koka Dam

References
[1] "Ali, M. H., Alam, M. R., Haque, M. N., & Alam, M. J. (2012). Comparision of Design and Analysis of Concrete Gravity dam. Natural Resources.
[2] Asadi, A., & Boustani, F. (2013). Performance Evaluation of the HEC-HMS Hydrologic Model for Lumped and Semi-distributed Stormflow Simulation. American Journal of Engineering Research.
[3] Binol, V., Arya, S., & Simi, J. (2014). Finite Element Analysis of Arch Dam. IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology.
[4] Bryan, T., Omid, M., Andrea, L., & C. Richard, D. (2010). Evaluation of the combined finite element discrete element method for the assessment of gravity dam stability. Canadian Dam Association Annual conference.
[5] Burman, A. (2003). Transient Analysis of Aged Concrete Dam-Foundation Coupled System. Doctoral Thesis. Guwahati, India.
[6] Burman, A., Maity, D., & Sreedeep, S. (2009). The Behavior of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam under the Effect of Isotropic Degradation Caused by Hygro- Chemo-Mechanical Actions. International Journal of Engineering Studies, 109.
[7] Cunderlik, J. M., & Simonovic, S. P. (2004). Calibration, verification and sensetivity analysis of the HEC-HMS hydrologic model.
[8] Dassault. (2014). Abaqus Analysis. User's Guide, Volume III, Materials.
[9] David, B. P., Donald, J. C., & Martin, M. V. (2005). The History of Large Federal Dams: Planning, Design, and Construction in the Era of Large Dams.
[10] EEPCO. (2004). Facts About Power Plants in Brief. Addis Abeba.
[11] Feldman, A. D. (2000, March). Hydrologic Modelling System HEC- HMS. Technical Reference Manual. CA, Davis, United States.
[12] FEMA. (2004). Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety.
[13] Gogoi, I., & Maity, D. (2004). Vulnerability of Aged Concrete Gravity Dams. 13th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, (p. 5). Canada.
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[15] Halcrow, W. (1989). Master Plan for the Development of Surface Water Resources in the Awash Basin. Addis Abeba: Ethiopian Valleys Development Authority.
[16] Kline, R. A., Davidheiser, S. M., & Howard, B. (n.d). Current State of the Practice for Existing Gravity Dam Stability Analysis.
[17] Logan, D. (2007). A first Course in the Finite Element.
[18] Meisenheimer, J. K. (1995). The State of Practice for Determining the Stability of Existing Concrete Gravity Dams Founded on Rock. Englewood: Stone and Webster Engineering Coorporation.
[19] Moftakhar, M., & Ghafouri, H. R. (2011). Comparison of Stability Criteria for Concrete Dams in Different Approximate Methods Based on Finite Element Analysis. Elsevier.
[20] Moriasi, D. N., Arnold, J. G., Van Liew, M. W., Bingner, R. L., Harmel, R. D., & Veith, T. L. (2007). Model Evaluation Guidelines for Systematic Quantification of Accuracy in Watershed Simulations. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
[21] Norconsultants. (1959). Imperial Ethiopian Government the Koka Project Drawing 1031. Addis Abeba.
[22] NWA. (2014). Analysis and Design of Dams. Training Module. Patna, Bihar.
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Author Information
  • Faculty of Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering, Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

  • School of Civil Engineering, Ethiopian Institute of Technology, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia

  • Faculty of Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering, Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

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  • APA Style

    Tafesse Fitensa, Medhanye Biedebrhan, Sisay Simachew. (2019). Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method. American Journal of Water Science and Engineering, 5(4), 138-154. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12

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    ACS Style

    Tafesse Fitensa; Medhanye Biedebrhan; Sisay Simachew. Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method. Am. J. Water Sci. Eng. 2019, 5(4), 138-154. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12

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    AMA Style

    Tafesse Fitensa, Medhanye Biedebrhan, Sisay Simachew. Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method. Am J Water Sci Eng. 2019;5(4):138-154. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12,
      author = {Tafesse Fitensa and Medhanye Biedebrhan and Sisay Simachew},
      title = {Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method},
      journal = {American Journal of Water Science and Engineering},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {138-154},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajwse.20190504.12},
      abstract = {History shows that several dams were failed and discharged the stored water which causes incalculable damage on life and property. Several researches disclosed that the methods used to design and re-evaluate concrete gravity dams after the 1970s have shown significant advancement. This starts when contemporary structural analysis methods such as a finite element method were incorporated into computer programs. Structural safety evaluation criterion, design standards and guidelines were also updated. Hence, periodical structural safety evaluation of older dams using state of art techniques is an important activity of the dam experts to ensure a safe operation of dams. This study was focused on hydrological and structural safety evaluation of Koka dam by using HEC-HMS and Abaqus models, based on USACE load combination. The Hydrologic Modeling System, HEC-HMS model was calibrated and used to determine the reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow resulted from the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) passes over the spillway. Result of the HEC-HMS model shows that the elevation reached by peak outflow was 1.4m lower than the dam crest which indicates no overtopping of the dam due to PMF. The peak reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow from PMF passes over spillway was used to apply hydrostatic load on the dam. The dam was analyzed by static general method in Abaqus model. The results of Abaqus model indicate that the maximum principal stress in the dam body was under tensile sense near the heel during PMF with the peak magnitude of 0.602MPa. The corresponding minimum principal stress was under compressive sense throughout the base with the peak magnitude of -0.431MPa. All the results were below the compressive and tensile strength, hence, the dam concrete does not fail under PMF due to material overstressing. The aging of concrete, do not change the stress, but displacement. The results of displacement clearly show a significant increment. This result tells that the aging of concrete reduces the stiffness of the dam and increases its flexibility.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Hydrologic and Structural Safety Evaluation of Aged Concrete Gravity Dam Using Finite Element Method
    AU  - Tafesse Fitensa
    AU  - Medhanye Biedebrhan
    AU  - Sisay Simachew
    Y1  - 2019/11/17
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12
    T2  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
    JF  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
    JO  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
    SP  - 138
    EP  - 154
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1875
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20190504.12
    AB  - History shows that several dams were failed and discharged the stored water which causes incalculable damage on life and property. Several researches disclosed that the methods used to design and re-evaluate concrete gravity dams after the 1970s have shown significant advancement. This starts when contemporary structural analysis methods such as a finite element method were incorporated into computer programs. Structural safety evaluation criterion, design standards and guidelines were also updated. Hence, periodical structural safety evaluation of older dams using state of art techniques is an important activity of the dam experts to ensure a safe operation of dams. This study was focused on hydrological and structural safety evaluation of Koka dam by using HEC-HMS and Abaqus models, based on USACE load combination. The Hydrologic Modeling System, HEC-HMS model was calibrated and used to determine the reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow resulted from the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) passes over the spillway. Result of the HEC-HMS model shows that the elevation reached by peak outflow was 1.4m lower than the dam crest which indicates no overtopping of the dam due to PMF. The peak reservoir elevation reached when the peak outflow from PMF passes over spillway was used to apply hydrostatic load on the dam. The dam was analyzed by static general method in Abaqus model. The results of Abaqus model indicate that the maximum principal stress in the dam body was under tensile sense near the heel during PMF with the peak magnitude of 0.602MPa. The corresponding minimum principal stress was under compressive sense throughout the base with the peak magnitude of -0.431MPa. All the results were below the compressive and tensile strength, hence, the dam concrete does not fail under PMF due to material overstressing. The aging of concrete, do not change the stress, but displacement. The results of displacement clearly show a significant increment. This result tells that the aging of concrete reduces the stiffness of the dam and increases its flexibility.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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