Seismic response of the Convento Viejo earth dam during the February 27th 2010 Chile earthquake

Abstract

This article examines the seismic behavior of an earth dam. Accelerations measured during the earthquake at three different dam levels are compared with those estimated from a dynamic analysis performed during the design phase. The article also comments on piezometric levels and settlements induced by the strong earthquake. The Convento Viejo embankment dam is a zoned earth dam, 32 m high, founded in alluvial deposits, whose construction was completed between 2006 and 2008. The site is located near the town of Chimbarongo, 160 km south of Santiago, Chile’s capital, about 85 km from the coast and 220 km from the epicenter of the earthquake that took place on February 27th, 2010. A description of the construction and design study as well as observations of the earth dam seismic response is presented. The assessment of the dam performance was based on comparisons of estimated and measured values of maximum acceleration, velocity and displacement in addition to predominant period, Arias Intensity, destructive potential and piezometric monitoring. It is concluded that despite that some of these parameter values were slightly exceeded for this large earthquake, the overall performance of the dam was satisfactory.