Analytical Model of Unsteady Internal Water Pressure Propagation along Cracks in Hydropower Tunnel Walls
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 10
Abstract
Unsteady internal water pressure (UIWP), such as water hammer and mass oscillation (rigid column effects) induced by load regulation of hydropower plants arranged with surge tanks, leads to crack damage and structural instability in hydropower tunnels. In this study, an analytical model for the propagation of UIWP along the cracks in hydropower tunnel walls was developed by analytically solving the one-dimensional (1D) unsteady seepage flow equation in a cylindrical coordinate system. The analytical solution, which was validated to be in good agreement with prototype monitoring data, was then applied to an engineering case to investigate the propagation characteristics of UIWP along the cracks in the tunnel wall. UIWP was found to be attenuated along the propagation direction because of the flow resistance, indicating that the surface layer of the tunnel wall may be more vulnerable to UIWP. Moreover, the maximum propagation depth of mass oscillation was greater than the water hammer. Time lag occurred and resulted in an additional seepage force on the inner layers of cracks, referred to as hydraulic impact, which was expected to be one of the main drivers of instability in the tunnel structure. The hydraulic impact became more pronounced with the increase in period and amplitude. Based on the comprehensive comparison of the propagation characteristics between water hammer and mass oscillation, mass oscillation is concluded to have a more significant influence on structural damage than water hammer and, therefore, should receive more attention.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, including the data of figures and tables in Excel format.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U21A20157), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52009064), and Open Research Fund Program of State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering (sklhse-2019-B-06).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 10 • October 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 5, 2022
Accepted: Jun 18, 2023
Published online: Aug 4, 2023
Published in print: Oct 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jan 4, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Continuum mechanics
- Cracking
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Fracture mechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Hydro power
- Infrastructure
- Motion (dynamics)
- Oscillations
- Pipeline hydraulics
- Pipeline management
- Pipeline systems
- Pressure (type)
- Renewable energy
- Solid mechanics
- Structural engineering
- Structural members
- Structural systems
- Tunnels
- Walls
- Water and water resources
- Water hammer
- Water management
- Water pressure
- Water supply
- Water supply systems
- Water tunnels
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