Recent News

SANCOLD Conference 2017: Methods of Assessing Stability under Seismic Loading for Gravity Dams

By GD Roberts. Dams & Hydro, ARQ Consulting Engineers, Pretoria, South Africa.

The assessment of stability of gravity dams under seismic loading can currently be completed using simple methods. The methods may include the pseudostatic seismic coefficient approach or even the response spectrum method otherwise only used for stress analysis. Due to the cyclic nature of the loading, it is clear that both methods may not lead to an accurate assessment of overturning and sliding stability under a seismic event.

This paper will address results from both the above methods as well as time history analysis using both synthetic and natural time histories. By assessing the results obtained from the parametric study, effectiveness and accuracy of each method are evaluated and conclusions made. A more suitable method of early stage stability assessment is provided with a simplified approach formulated.