Behavioral Characteristics and Safety Management Plan for Fill Dam During Water Level Fluctuation Using Numerical Analysis

Abstract

In this study, the behavioral characteristics of the fill dam were analyzed during water level fluctuations through a numerical analysis model, and the reservoir safety management plan was prepared. The variation in plastic deviatoric strain, horizontal displacement, stress path, pore water pressure, etc., due to elevation of water level in the upper and lower sides of shell and core were analyzed using numerical analysis software, viz. GTS NX and LIQCA. The analysis results manifest that as the water level in the dam body increases rapidly, the pore water pressure and displacement also increase quickly. It was found that the elevation of the water level causes an increase in pore water pressure in the dam body as well as an increase in the saturation of the dam body and decreased effective stress. It is considered that this type of dam behavior can be the cause of the reduction of strength and stiffness of the dam. Also, it is assumed that the accumulated plastic deviatoric strain due to the deformation of the dam body caused by water infiltration causes an increase in displacement. Based on these experimental results and the results of analyses of the existing reservoir safety diagnosis techniques, an improvement plan for dam safety diagnosis and evaluation criteria was proposed, and these results can be used as primary data while revising dam safety diagnosis guidelines.