Reservoir level and discharge data were collected for three Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dams (Chickamauga, Watts Bar and Douglas) on the Tennessee river in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ). Earthquake catalog data was also collected for the ETSZ from 1980-2018. Well levels from 2 U.S. Geological Survey groundwater monitoring wells were also collected. Rainfall data were collected for the ETSZ. Reservoir, well and rainfall data were examined for correlation with earthquake occurrence rates. High Pearson correlation and anti-correlation coefficients (.7-.9) were obtained for the reservoir level and dam discharge volume rates vs monthly earthquake counts. Pearson correlation coefficients for rainfall and well level vs. monthly earthquake counts were small (.0-.2). A large difference in earthquake rates between the months of February (low rate) and April (high rate) over the 39 year study period was observed. The difference in earthquakes rates for February and April are statistically significant at the 95% confidence interval using the two sample Poisson rate test. The high correlations for the reservoir level and flow discharge vs. earthquake counts provides strong evidence of hydro-seismicity occurring in the ETSZ from seasonal fluctuations in reservoir level and discharge flow. / Master of Science / Reservoir level and discharge data were collected for three Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dams (Chickamauga, Watts Bar and Douglas) on the Tennessee river in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ). Reservoir discharge and level data was collected for the three reservoirs. Also collected were rainfall data for the study area. This was provided by the TVA. Earthquake and well level data was collected from the USGS. High Pearson correlations for dam discharge and reservoir level vs. earthquake counts provided strong evidence of hydro-seismicity in the ETSZ.

To manage China’s growing demands of electricity, more and larger dams could be a part of the solution. It is important to evaluate and perform safety analysis for existing dams, in order to improve our understanding and knowledge about future dams. In this master thesis, a safety research of Longtan Dam on the Hongshui River in China was analysed. The main objectives in this research were to construct a 3D model and determine the critical points of large stress, strain and yield area in the dam for different cases.The factor of safety for sliding when primary loads were acting on the dam was calculated to be 0.50 for the non-overflow section of the dam and 0.48 for the overflow section. A safety factor against overturning was also calculated for the non-overflow and overflow section to 2.24 and 1.96 respectively. The results showed that the dam was safe from both sliding and overturning. The numerical results for distribution of stress, strain and yield area were simulated in 3D models by using ANSYS, a finite element program. Several cases for non-overflow and overflow sections of Longtan Dam were analysed for different heights and load combinations. For the first three cases where only self-weight was applied on the dam, high impacts of stress and strain were located at the dam heel, toe and at the largest maintenance tunnel of the dam. Appearance of plastic strain was also found around these areas. However, when primary loads were applied to the dam sections, the values of stress and strain became larger, especially in the toe area. In the last case when the dam was subjected to seismic activity, the distribution of stress and strain along the z-direction (along the dam) showed an uneven distribution, hence showing the importance of simulation in 3D.

Dada a importância estratégica das barragens no Brasil e à disputa de interesses, o descomissionamento dessas estruturas é um assunto inevitável a ser discutido. Um conjunto de casos de descomissionamento de outros países é apresentado e ilustra de maneira abrangente essa questão pouco discutida e ainda não legislada no Brasil. Uma metodologia para avaliação da necessidade de descomissionamento com base no potencial de risco oferecido foi proposta e aplicada aos barramentos constantes do Cadastro de barragens das bacias PCJ, no estado de São Paulo. Apesar de a metodologia não poder ser aplicada em sua total extensão devido à insuficiência de dados do cadastro, é possível perceber quando algumas barragens encontram-se descuidadas, sem nenhum tipo de monitoramento podendo ser elegíveis para escomissionamento. / Due to the importance of dams in Brazil and to different interests, dam decommissioning is an unavoidable issue to be discussed. Some examples of dam removal in some countries are presented to generally elucidate this subject that still hasnt been acknowledged, neither legislated in Brazil. A methodology for evaluation of decommissioning demanding, based on the potential risk offered by dams has been set up and tested over a few dams that are constituent of a data basis of dams of Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí (PCJ) basins, in São Paulo state. Despite the fact that the methodology couldnt be used at its full length due to lack of field data, it has been realized when some dams of the data basis are most despised, recklessly maintained and are contestant for decommissioning.

Dams are important large structures providing vital benefits to human life. These strategic structures are necessary in order to supply water and energy and to control floods. Moreover, dams have important roles in regional development and national economy. Thus, the design of dams deserves rigorous studies. Deterministic approach may be acceptable for design of dams and may satisfy safety requirements if large safety factors are used. However, such an approach will not be cost-effective in economic terms. High safety factors utilized in deterministic approaches necessitates large dimensions. One remedy for this overestimation is integrating statistical information and techniques, such as Monte-Carlo simulations into the analysis and design of dams. Probabilistic approaches may result in more economical and reasonable designs. CADAM is a software program which allows the user to analyze dams using Monte-Carlo simulation technique. Uncertainties associated with tensile strength, peak cohesion, peak friction coefficient, normal upstream reservoir elevation, drain efficiency and horizontal peak ground acceleration are incorporated into stability and stress analysis using Monte-Carlo simulations. In this thesis, utilization of CADAM software is demonstrated on a case study. Cindere dam is evaluated in terms of structural safety

Before 1978, Chinese dam policies were tallied with the political movement ¡§Big Leap¡¨, people all obeyed the order no matter they were under the situation of lacked of instruments. Sanmenxia can be a special sample. ZhouEnlai¡¦s chrisma made people did their best on dam projects. This could be said that dam construction policies were methods to show the authority of the leader and the state. And further, under the system of people¡¦s commune and SOEs, the state can totally control the society. After executing the opening reform policy in 1978, social organizations were in bud in China. Since 1994, environmental non-government organizations (ENGO) dramatically grew up and played an important role in anti-dam movements, in addition the international non-government organizations joined the movement, and then the two kinds of organizations became transnational advocacy networks. However, the transnational advocacy networks successfully stopped the projects of Nu River and Hutiaoxia. In this study, the documentary analysis is the key research methodology and the dam construction is the case to illustrate the purpose of constructing dam in China. Furthermore, this thesis would make a description of the reasons of anti-dam movements, the emergence of NGOs and ENGOs, and the cooperation with INGOs to confer the transforming State-Society relations in China.

published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

Reservoirs and dams are often situated in the mountains upstream of cities and towns. This implies a theoretical but difficult to evaluate hazard potential for downstream communities. This paper reflects experiences of the related safety analysis practice including the steps from the breach estimation towards the drawing of special hazard maps.

River blockages formed by rock avalanches appear to pose a higher hazard potential than other landslide dams, given the extreme run-out distances and volumes of rock avalanche deposits. Recent research has identified rock avalanche deposits to have internal sedimentology consisting of a coarse surficial material (carapace) and a finer fragmented interior (body) potentially of critical importance to rock-avalanche dam stability. Physical scale modelling of overtopping failure and breach development in rock avalanche dams was used to quantify the influence of this sedimentology on critical breach parameters, and their prediction using existing embankment dam breach technologies. Results from this study indicate that the time to failure for rock avalanche dams is approximately twice that observed for homogeneous dams due to the armouring properties of the carapace; and that peak discharge is not significantly affected by sedimentology. While application of empirical, parametric, dimensional and physically based models indicated that uncertainty associated with predicted dam break discharges could range from ±19% to ±107%, no modelling technique was able to simulate the armouring phenomenon adequately. Comparison of actual and simulated breach evolution shows linear assumptions of breach depth and width development (as observed in homogeneous dams) to be incorrect. In the context of hazard management, the results suggest that empirical regression relationships should be used for rapid assessment of potential dam break flood magnitude.

This thesis analyzes the probable outcome of the fictitious failure of a dam under a set of pre-defined scenarios, within the framework of a case study, the case subject being the Cinarcik Dam located within Bursa Province of Turkey. The failure of the dam is not analyzed neither structural nor hydraulic-wise but is assumed to be triggered when certain critical criteria are exceeded. Hence, the analyses focus on the aftermath of the failure and strive to anticipate the level of inundation downstream of the dam itself. For the purpose of the analyses, the FLDWAV software developed by the National Weather Service of USA is used to spatially and temporally predict the flow profiles, water surface elevations and discharges occurring downstream of the &Ccedil / inarcik Dam under the defined set of scenarios. Based on these analyses, indicative inundation maps and settlements under risk will be identified, and the thesis study will further address some available pre-event measures that may be taken in advance.

Thesis (M. Eng.(Structural Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.