Title:
Modeling an Arch Dam Suffering from Alkali-Aggregate Reaction
Author(s):
Luis Romera and Santiago Hernandez
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
24
Issue:
12
Appears on pages(s):
34-38
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
12/1/2002
Abstract:
Belesar Dam, an arch dam located in Northwest Spain, has been monitored since construction was completed in 1963. Its monitoring system measures water levels, temperature data, and structural responses, such as displacements and deformations. An expansive reaction in the dam’s concrete between the cement’s alkaline components and the aggregates caused unexpected upstream displacement. According to data from the dam’s monitoring system, alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) was first located on the left-hand side of the dam, but has spread throughout most of the dam’s volume since 1980. We used a finite element model to analyze and mimic the displacement history of the Belesar Dam.