XFEM method for crack propagation in concrete gravity dams
- Vol.103(2), June
- New York Springer 2022
- 677-688p.
Cracks should always be examined while building new dams to assess the reliability of existing ones. A precise assessment of concrete dam performance is imperative for forecasting future and existing cracks and seismic capacity. The potential of concrete dams to withstand seismic movement depends on the ability to analyze downstream and upstream face movement. For the investigation of seismic instabilities, the Koyna dam was chosen due to its correlation with respect to the dam as well as foundation regions. A study on the influence of cracks and crack propagation was carried out by considering dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. Cracks are assumed to form where the tensile stresses exceed the allowable permissible limit. Cracks have been modelled by using the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM). From the seismic stress analysis of Koyna dam, it is observed that the zones of high tensile stress that exceed the tensile strength of concrete are given as follows: on the downstream neck, the dam foot, the gradient change point, and at a height of 55 m and 85 m above the dam base on the reservoir side. The Koyna dam is studied under various initial cracking conditions. The influence of the initial crack position on the crack propagation mechanism caused by the seismic response is investigated.