Building dams on rock or soft soil - Frequency-domain analysis of dynamic dam-foundation interaction

Emily Lo, L. Pelecanos

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceedingChapter in a published conference proceeding

2 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the design of new and the assessment of existing earth dams. It aims to understand the effect of a soft soil foundation for earth dams. The effects of a compliant foundation are more pronounced under dynamic events such as earthquakes. This study uses dynamic finite element analysis to investigate the dynamic response of earth dams during earthquakes. It is shown that the presence of a soft foundation layer increases the fundamental period of vibration of the dams and, depending on the properties of the dam and foundation, it may lead to amplification or de-amplification of the seismic accelerations. This is an important observation as design codes (e.g. EC8) need to consider the frequency content of the earthquake and the natural frequencies of the dam structure. Therefore this study may lead to a better seismic design of earth dams.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSmart Dams and Reservoirs - Proceedings of the 20th Biennial Conference of the British Dam Society
EditorsAndrew Pepper
PublisherThomas Telford (ICE Publishing)
Pages113-122
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9780727764119
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2018
Event20th Biennial Conference of the British Dam Society: Smart Dams and Reservoirs - Swansea, UK United Kingdom
Duration: 13 Sept 201815 Sept 2018

Publication series

NameConference Proceedings: Dams, Reservoirs and Hydrology
PublisherICE

Conference

Conference20th Biennial Conference of the British Dam Society: Smart Dams and Reservoirs
Country/TerritoryUK United Kingdom
CitySwansea
Period13/09/1815/09/18

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Building and Construction

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