Structural Assessment of a Concrete Dam Based on Uplift Pressure Monitoring
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 1
Abstract
The context of structural monitoring of concrete dams as part of hydropower assets management is described. A tool that fits well into this context is the control of the uplift pressure of concrete dams. A monitoring technique suitable for this purpose was developed based on an automated water-level measurement technique using time-domain reflectometry and standard air-dielectric coaxial cable sensors. The signal is interpreted automatically by applying a threshold method to determine the apparent water level, which is then used to calculate the uplift pressure. A field test at a concrete dam column displayed consistent results, which were used as input to a reliability-based stability safety analysis. The results show that this technique can be very useful for uplift pressure monitoring. The information determined can serve as input to the maintenance work as well as assist engineering decisions.
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Acknowledgments
The writers wish to thank Vattenfall AB, Elforsk AB, and Vinnova (Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems) for their financial support for the work carried out for this paper. The writers are also grateful for the help provided by Daniel Eriksson and Mattias Lindh, who have contributed to this project.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 1 • January 2009
Pages: 133 - 142
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 18, 2006
Accepted: Oct 6, 2007
Published online: Jan 1, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2009
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