Earthquake Hydrodynamic Pressure on Dams
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 11
Abstract
Hydrodynamic pressures on the vertical upstream face of straight dams during horizontal earthquakes were studied by Westergaad in 1933, and an analytical solution was obtained. Assuming that water is incompressible, an approximation can be made to reduce Westergaad’s mathematical formulation to the Laplace equation. The computer program SEEP2D, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), is available for the study of seepage flow in porous media; this flow can be expressed mathematically in a form of the Laplace equation. Therefore, we can use this computer program to study the hydrodynamic pressure on dams during a horizontal earthquake in the upstream/downstream direction. In practice, the proposed procedure is not limited to SEEP2D but can also be applied to any computer model capable of solving Laplace equations in bounded domains. Two examples are presented to show the application of the COE’s computer program, and the accuracy of the proposed method is discussed.
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References
Biedenharn, D. G., and Tracy, F. T. (1987). “Finite element method for solving steady-state seepage problem.” Technical Rep. ITL-87-6, Dept. of the Army, Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Miss.
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Zangar, C. N. (1950). “Hydrodynamic pressures on dams due to horizontal earthquakes effects.” Special Assignments Section Photoelastic Group Rep. No. 21, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Branch of Design and Construction, Dams Division, Denver.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 11 • November 2006
Pages: 1128 - 1133
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 21, 2004
Accepted: Nov 17, 2005
Published online: Nov 1, 2006
Published in print: Nov 2006
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