PSI - Issue 44

Andrea Ciancimino et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 44 (2023) 323–330 Andrea Ciancimino et al. / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2022) 000–000

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5. Conclusions

A reliable assessment of the seismic vulnerability of earth dams is a nontrivial task, which requires the definition of an accurate geotechnical model of the structure. This is particularly difficult when dealing with small earth dams, which often lack proper geophysical characterization. As consequence, reference is usually made to simplified methods for predicting the seismic performance of the dams. In this study, the predictive capacities of the most used empirical equations are analyzed regarding the earthquake induced crest settlement of small earth dams. Advanced dynamic numerical analyses were then performed to investigate the seismic response of two earth dams characterized by high vulnerability levels, defined based on a preliminary screening simplified approach. The comparison between simulated and predicted crest settlement highlights that care should be exercised when simplified methods are employed in the common practice, as the seismic damage may be significantly underestimated. The results however also suggest that the predictive capacity of the empirical models can be significantly improved by developing specified relationships linking the model parameters and the features of the dams, such as the geometry of the body and the soil stratigraphy. Acknowledgements This study was supported by the European Union for regional development (Interreg-ALCOTRA) for the French Italy Alps, within the ReSba project, for which funding is gratefully acknowledged. The Authors thank Dr. F. Passeri, and MSc L. Fazio, who worked actively on the project. References Cosentini, R. M., Foti, S., Passeri, F., 2021. Geophysical and geotechnical characterization of small earth dams in the Piedmont region for seismic risk assessment, Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Characterisation, Budapest, 26-29 September. Darendeli, M. B., 2001. Development of a new family of normalized modulus reduction and material damping curves. PhD dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin. Kuhlemeyer, R. L., Lysmer, J., 1973. Finite element method accuracy for wave propagation problems. Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, 99:421-427. ISPRA, 2019. Invasi artificiali (in Italian), in “ Pericolosità Geologiche. Annuario dei dati ambientali.” Luzi, L., Puglia, R., 2019. ITalian ACcelerometric Archive (ITACA), version 3.0. INGV. doi: https://doi.org/10.13127/itaca.3.0. Lysmer, J., Kuhlemeyer, R. L, 1969. Finite dynamic model for infinite media. Journal of the Engineering Mechanics Division, 95:859-877. Makdisi, F. I., Seed, H. B. 1978. Simplified procedure for estimating dam and embankment earthquake-induced deformations. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, 104:849-867. Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti, 2014. Norme Tecniche per la Progettazione e la Costruzione degli Sbarramenti di Ritenuta (dighe e traverse). Newmark, N. M., 1965. Effects of earthquakes on dams and embankments. Geotechnique, 15:139-160. Rollins, K. M., Evans, M. D., Diehl, N. B., Daily, W. D. III, 1998. Shear modulus and damping relationships for gravels. J Geotech Geoenvironmental Eng, 124:396-405. Seed, H. B., 1979. Considerations in the earthquake-resistant design of earth and rockfill dams. Geotechnique, 29(3):215-263. Seed, H. B., Wong, R. T., Idriss, I., Tokimatsu, K., 1986. Moduli and damping factors for dynamic analyses of cohesionless soils. Journal of geotechnical engineering, 112:1016-1032. Sun, J. I., Golesorkhi, R., Seed, H. B, 1988. Dynamic moduli and damping ratios for cohesive soils. Report of Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California Berkeley. Swaisgood, J., 2003. Embankment dam deformations caused by earthquakes. In: “Pacific conference on earthquake engineering” . Cosentini, R. M., Passeri, F., Foti, S., 2020. A Simplified Methodology for the Assessment of the Seismic Risk Associated with Small Earth Dams, In: Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering vol. 40, p. 92-100, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-21359-6_1 .