Investigation of the behavior of Gezende Dam under seismic excitation

Abstract

Since structural failure can lead to major loss of life and severe economic damage, evaluating arch dams under strong ground motions is essential. In this study, so as to evaluate the behaviour of the system against strong ground motions, the effect of seismic parameters is examined in terms of determining structural safety. In order to simulate the behavior of arch dams under the seismic excitations, Gezende Dam in Türkiye was selected as the case study. Five earthquake ground-motion records were taken into account to evaluate the seismic response. As a result of the analysis, maximum displacement and stress values were determined through the numerical simulations. The frequency contents of the ground motions were defined by Fast Fourier Transform, while the structural demand was evaluated through spectral acceleration. Spectral Analysis, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) analyses were performed for all the earthquake records. The structural behaviour was comparatively examined by considering the frequency content and spectral acceleration values of seismic motions. The findings obtained highlighted that the dam-reservoir system ought to be considered in the assessment of the performance of the arch dams. Furthermore, it was determined that earthquake characteristics affect the stress and the displacement distributions of arch dams. The results obtained are of great significance for engineering applications in the seismic evaluation of arch dams that exist and the ones that might be constructed.