Stability of Concrete Gravity Dams with Drained and Finite Cracks

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical solution that can be used as a simplified design aid when assessing the stability of concrete gravity dams with cracks at their base under usual load conditions. The solution is based on the strength of materials approach. It differs from the classical U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) gravity method of stress and stability analysis in three ways: (1) The cracks are finite rather than infinite in a direction normal to the dam cross section; (2) the effect of drainage on the stress distribution in the uncracked part of the dam base and at the crack tip is fully taken into account; and (3) the criterion for cracking at the rock concrete interface is based on the effective stress principle used in soil and rock mechanics. The effective stress principle allows the minimum allowable stress at the crack tip to be related to the rock‐concrete interface mechanical properties and the crack drainage properties in a more rigorous manner.