Effect of Thermal Loads on the Structural Response of an Aging Double-Curvature Thin Concrete Arch Dam Experiencing Significant Reservoir Level Fluctuations

Abstract

High arch dams are structurally efficient hydraulic structures for demanding loading conditions, including extreme loading, and are widely recognized for the transfer mechanism of such loads acting on them. The distinctive performance of these thin concrete structures during their service life is often intriguing and worth investigating. Unlike in the case of concrete gravity dams, in arch dams—especially, thin arch dams—the impact of temperature loads assumes significance due to the geometry and load-transfer mechanism. In this paper, an existing high double-curvature thin concrete arch dam experiencing fluctuations in reservoir levels is analyzed regarding the combined effect of thermal loads and the deflections and stresses caused. Thermal loads arising from continuous exposure of intrados and extrados faces contribute to critical loading scenarios. The FEM-based simulations assisted with field monitoring data and were used to study the structural response under the influence of temperature in steady-state conditions. The study found that the increase in body temperature is a cause of undesirable tensile stresses in the upper parts of the dam body, close to 2.0 MPa, which may cause the development of horizontal cracks. Small areas of upstream heel portion also develop higher tensile stresses due to temperature loads. The dam in its 50-year service life showed apparently aberrant behavior in deflections. The seasonal temperature variation—an increase—can be a cause of the atypical response of the dam. The anomalous nature of the behavior cannot be considered unusual, but the study also found that mitigation measures are effective, suggesting that continuous monitoring is required for sustained healthy functioning.