Deduction of ultimate equilibrium limit states for concrete gravity dams keyed into rock mass foundations based on large displacement analysis

Abstract

Concrete gravity dams are mass concrete structures, often built on rock mass foundations, conceived to rely upon their weight for stability. To prevent sliding, these structures are usually keyed/embedded into the foundation, a good construction practice particularly relevant in medium to high intensity seismic zones. In stability analysis, the extra strength obtained by keying the dam into the foundation is usually either neglected or taken as a passive resistance, which, such as explored in this paper, do not reflect the real structural response in pre-collapse situations. Limit state philosophy requires the ultimate equilibrium conditions to be expressed as accurately as possible. In this paper, the rigid-body equilibrium of a wedgy model representing the dam and a downstream rock wedge is analyzed according to the large displacement regime. Failure mechanisms were identified, analytically described and numerically validated. Application to two Portuguese large concrete gravity dams led to safety factors considerably larger than those computed assuming the usual practice. The proposed approach is intended to support probabilistic and/or semi-probabilistic methodologies for safety assessment of concrete gravity dams, in the design and feasibility phases, in which the limit state approach is inherently followed.