Seismic performance evaluation of concrete buttress dram (Dynamic linear analysis)

Due to a variety of reasons, including the water retained inside and the intrinsic weight of the dam itself, dam constructions have the ability to move both horizontally and vertically. If these displacements exceed a crucial limit, a dam’s structural integrity is jeopardized. Concrete buttress dams in particular may be susceptible to high-frequency vibrations because of their slender structure, especially when the flow of water is involved. The Khassa Chi Dam, which is located northeast of Kirkuk City, is the subject of this study’s attempt to offer an alternative since the constructed dam is an embankment dam. In this research, a concrete buttress dam design was studied as an alternative dam to the constructed one. Such designs exemplify one form of gravity dams widely implemented on diverse soil types. Finite element model (FEM) was employed to simulate the behavior of the dam. The simulation utilized DIANA FEA, which relies on governing equations. There are several steps involved in developing an accurate FEM that faithfully simulates the actual behavior of a dam and predicts its future responses. The model is evaluated in later analyses in terms of stress and displacement. In this context, RSA was conducted on the modeled buttress dam. The outcome of the displacement analysis of the buttress dam exhibited its safety across all load combinations after undergoing linear dynamic analysis. This analysis included Eigenvalue Analysis and RSA. The response remained low at seismic frequencies below 3 Hz, and the extent of displacement correlated with the frequency values.