Numerical analysis of Murallas Viejas dam. Effects assessment when accounting for the concrete face

Abstract

During the dynamic analysis of the Murallas Viejas reservoir, the response of the rockfill dam of 130 m high was evaluated, during this evaluation, the interaction between the concrete face and the rockfill dam was modeled using advanced techniques. This implementation allowed capturing the concrete face response in term of inertial effects, imposed stresses and its ability for deforming, as well as capturing the slab interaction with each other, the interaction with the rockfill dam and capturing the boundary effects imposed by the plinth. The results of the numerical modelling carried out for the Murallas Viejas reservoir were compared with a similar analysis, but without including the concrete face in the numerical models. For this case the response of the concrete face was indirectly obtained, by a post analysis. The results illustrate the complex interaction between the different dam components and the need of using a correct technique for modelling the dam system. The present work shows the various techniques used and highlight key points of its implementation. The results indicate that the dam response, especially those related to flexural moments at the concrete face, significantly differ between the two cases. The authors believe that this difference is magnified by the inclusion of the transition materials in the numerical analysis.