Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study
Most of the larger hydropower plants in Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, North America and Japan were constructed between the 1940s and 1970s. This implies that the rehabilitation or repair of existing dams is a top priority, which entails new challenges for the dam engineering community. Si...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4117/4/2/74 |
| _version_ | 1797595056515842048 |
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| author | Noemi Schclar Leitão Eloísa Castilho |
| author_facet | Noemi Schclar Leitão Eloísa Castilho |
| author_sort | Noemi Schclar Leitão |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most of the larger hydropower plants in Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, North America and Japan were constructed between the 1940s and 1970s. This implies that the rehabilitation or repair of existing dams is a top priority, which entails new challenges for the dam engineering community. Since no two dams are the same, in cases in which abnormal behavior is suspected, an in-depth diagnosis of the state of the dam to define the causes and consequences of the damage is required. To illustrate the diagnostic process, an old concrete arch dam is presented which showed signs of reservoir water seepage through some construction joints, resulting in a buildup of calcium carbonate on the downstream face. After analyzing the available data, we put forward a hypothesis that the high temperature gradient promoted the opening of some construction joints on the upstream face during the first filling of the reservoir. Over time, water penetration expanded the cracks, reaching the downstream face. To prove our diagnosis, a chemo-thermo-mechanical finite element analysis was carried out in order to simulate the behavior of the dam during its construction and initial impoundment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:31:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae65238f149348ad8e988e3314fde43c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4117 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:31:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Eng |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae65238f149348ad8e988e3314fde43c2023-11-18T10:14:58ZengMDPI AGEng2673-41172023-04-01421265128910.3390/eng4020074Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case StudyNoemi Schclar Leitão0Eloísa Castilho1Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), Av. do Brasil 101, 1700-066 Lisbon, PortugalInstituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalMost of the larger hydropower plants in Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, North America and Japan were constructed between the 1940s and 1970s. This implies that the rehabilitation or repair of existing dams is a top priority, which entails new challenges for the dam engineering community. Since no two dams are the same, in cases in which abnormal behavior is suspected, an in-depth diagnosis of the state of the dam to define the causes and consequences of the damage is required. To illustrate the diagnostic process, an old concrete arch dam is presented which showed signs of reservoir water seepage through some construction joints, resulting in a buildup of calcium carbonate on the downstream face. After analyzing the available data, we put forward a hypothesis that the high temperature gradient promoted the opening of some construction joints on the upstream face during the first filling of the reservoir. Over time, water penetration expanded the cracks, reaching the downstream face. To prove our diagnosis, a chemo-thermo-mechanical finite element analysis was carried out in order to simulate the behavior of the dam during its construction and initial impoundment.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4117/4/2/74concrete arch damfinite element chemo-thermal-mechanical analysisdiagnosisfirst filling |
| spellingShingle | Noemi Schclar Leitão Eloísa Castilho Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study Eng concrete arch dam finite element chemo-thermal-mechanical analysis diagnosis first filling |
| title | Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study |
| title_full | Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study |
| title_short | Chemo-Thermo-Mechanical FEA as a Support Tool for Damage Diagnostic of a Cracked Concrete Arch Dam: A Case Study |
| title_sort | chemo thermo mechanical fea as a support tool for damage diagnostic of a cracked concrete arch dam a case study |
| topic | concrete arch dam finite element chemo-thermal-mechanical analysis diagnosis first filling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4117/4/2/74 |
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