Finite Element Assessment of the ASR-Affected Paulo Afonso IV Dam

Abstract

Various numerical models have been developed to appraise alkali-silica reaction (ASR) induced expansion and to predict its potential to generate further damage. A previous work proposed a finite element approach that does not oversimplify nor overcomplicate the reaction analysis, while still being capable of representing the anisotropic expansion and its macroscopic consequences. Slender structures have already been successfully simulated using this approach, although it has never been applied to assess massive structures. This paper presents the validation analyses and the simulations performed on an ASR-affected dam in Brazil to appraise the accuracy of the previously proposed approach for massive structures. The results suggest that the numerical model is quite promising for appraising ASR development over time, based on the damage observed both in the field and on test specimens. Moreover, phenomena not directly accounted for in the model (such as alkali release from aggregates and the absence of an important amount of leaching) were found to play an important role in ASR-affected massive structures.