Shake Table Study to Investigate Failure Modes of Arch Dams

Determining the stability of concrete dams using linear elastic finite element analyses can be very subjective when the results indicate nonlinear response. To reduce uncertainty associated with failure of concrete arch dams during an earthquake, large laboratory shake table tests of a representative arch dam and reservoir were performed at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Material Engineering and Research Laboratory. These models were analyzed using the ABAQUS finite element computer code to determine how accurately the response could be modeled and the failure predicted. Failure modes predicted by the computer analyses corresponded well with the laboratory tests.