1999 – Stresses & Deflections in Concrete Dams

Dr. Azam Khan and Dr. Anil Patnaik

Concrete dams are thinner than embankment dams and impose more concentrated loads on the foundation and abutments. A narrow valley with sufficient rock foundation is a typical site for concrete dam, which require a solid foundation that is relatively free of faults, shears, and major changes in foundation strength. Such discontinuities can overstress the concrete by causing some areas of dams to carry more loads than other areas. The measurement of deflections and use of finite element technique can predict the stresses in the concrete dams. A computer model is underdeveloped for prediction of deflections and stresses in Concrete Dam by using finite element. At the first stage of this study, measured deflections from Burrinjuck Dam are compared with the predicted deflections by using finite element. This paper outlines the deflections measured in the dam due to temperature variations and comparison of the measured thermal deflections with those predicted from a finite element analysis.