Numerical Simulation of Prenotched Gravity Dam Models

The aim of this work is to investigate the behaviour of a 96 m high gravity dam (the prototype) with a pre-existing crack. For this purpose, four different kinds of gravity dam model were simoullated through the cohesive crack model in mixed-mode conditions. Three of them (1:40, 1:100 and 1:150 scale) were tested under equivalent dead-weight and hydraulic loads. In order to obtain correct dead-weight scale ratios, the laboratory tests were performed in an artificial gravity field produced by a system of additional vertical forces and by using a centrifuge equipment. The initial notch in the upstream face served as the starting point of a crack which, during the loading process, propagated towards the foundation. The structural response and the crack trajectories were reproduced satisfactorily by the cohesive crack model. The behaviour of the prototype is discussed on the basis of the behaviour of the models.