journal article·2025-01-22Open access

Impact of Arch Dam Cracking on Monitoring Data

André Conde, Miguel Á. Toledo, Eduardo Salete

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 3

Abstract

It is well established that the proper functioning of dams plays an important role in society. Therefore, as a fundamental part of their safety, the identification of anomalies by monitoring their deformations must be given special consideration. The ability to detect cracks based on monitoring device records depends largely on the number of devices included in the dam’s original design, their arrangement, and their accuracy. This paper aims to help determine the appropriate spacing and accuracy of the devices for detecting a given crack. For this purpose, numerical simulations of cracks that match the most likely cracks in arch dams are performed based on a real dam, ensuring that such cracks result in an opening wide enough to be of concern. Afterward, the study analyzes the impact of the length and depth of the crack and the accuracy and position of the monitoring device on the ability of the system to detect the crack.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Dam Engineering and Safety · Landslides and related hazards · Geotechnical Engineering and Analysis

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Dam Safety Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, Hydraulics, Energy and Environment, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Profesor Aranguren, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Juan del Rosal 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Funding

Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the CORCHEA Research Project

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