Earthquake response analysis of a concrete gravity dam

Earthquakes are the most important and significant aspect of the design and safety of Dams, thus in this book a concrete gravity Dam has been modeled in ABAQUS finite element software to undergo an ELCENTRO earthquake ground motion acceleration components. Transverse, vertical and combined components of the acceleration applied to the Dam in three cases, and for each case the amplitude of the acceleration was modified four times to certain ratios so that to investigate the effect of each case in the response and behavior of the Dam, and a gravity load of the Dam has been assigned to the simulation. Acceleration boundary condition dedicated for all points of the Dam base simulating the ground motion due to the applied earthquake. From visualization of the results for each case were analyzed, it has been proved that the Dam is linearly responding to the ground motion of transverse and combined components when many amplitudes are applied, but nonlinear response has been detected for the vertical component of the ground motion. The base points of the Dam were the regions of stress concentration in all cases, while significant stress propagation toward the neck point was an important indication of high possibility of cracking in that area due to long lasting ground motion especially with the presence of hydrodynamic pressure of the reservoir waves on the Dam wall, also from the displacement response analysis was clear that the vertical component of the ground motion will arrange a firm base for nonlinear behavior of the Dam parts to displacement , as a result a risk of plastic failure is possible when the earthquake ground motion is with high acceleration amplitudes in the vertical component.