Simulation of concrete crack development in seismic assessment of existing gravity dam

Most of dams around the world were built before the introduction of seismic regulations, or in those regions that were classified as seismic at a later time. Only few new dams are now being built, so older ones, which are inexorably ageing, are required to fulfil a longer life expectancy, as they are a critical component of our energy production infrastructure. Consequently, a better understanding of the seismic risk of these structures is required. As no concrete gravity dams are known to have failed catastrophically during an earthquake, modelling aspects assume great importance to predict their collapse behaviour. In this paper a plane strain model of an existing gravity dam has been analysed in order to simulate the concrete crack development within a continuum damage framework. The study has been performed by using a nonlinear constitutive equation that takes into account the bounded tensile, compressive and shear strength of the material. The collapse behaviour of the dam has been compared with the results obtained by means of models based on the plasticity theory, fracture mechanics or contact elements.