Forensic Investigations of Dam Failures Paul C
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Forensic Investigations of Dam Failures Paul C. Rizzo October 7,2010 Case Histories • A few introductory notes: – All major litiga tion on each projtject is compltdleted –All information reported here is in the public domain • Dam Failures discussed today –The “Classics” plus –Taum Sauk – Silver Lake – Saluda Dam –Swinging Bridge Click to edit Master title style – Will not talk about Tampa Bay, Lake Dehli, Levee Failures 2 References • Dr. A.J. “Skip” Hendron • Brian Green • Prof. J. David Rogers • Euler Cruz & Rafael Cesário • Dr. David Petley Click to edit Master title style 3 Definition of Failure • Failure at a dam is “an uncontrolled release of water” • Causes of Failure – Overtopping –the most common cause – Piping thru Embankment –2nd!! –Piiiping thru Foundidation –3rd!! – Foundation Degradation •Karst development • Lique fac tion •Loss of fines over time – Earthquakes – ground motion and faults Click to edit Master title style – Failure of gates, stoplogs, flashboard malfunction, penstocks, tunnels, and reservoir slopes 4 Some “Classics” We learn from out mistakes!! Click to edit Master title style 5 Classic Failures • Had a major impact on dam or hydro engineering • Had a major impact on dam safety legislation and dam safety regulations Click to edit Master title style • Had a major impact on society 6 Folsom Dam Folsom, California July 17, 1995 Click to edit Master title style 7 Folsom Dam – “Before” Click to edit Master title style 8 Folsom Dam – “After” Click to edit Master title style 9 Folsom Dam ‐ 1995 Click to edit Master title style 10 Folsom Dam • Increased profession’s awareness of the need for maintenance and inspection of auxiliary features associated with a dams • Changed FERC’sClick to edit Ins Masterpection title style Guides 11 Shih Kang Dam Taiwan September 21, 1999 Click to edit Master title style 12 Shih Kang Dam –Taiwan Impact of building a dam over a fault Click to edit Master title style 13 Shih Kang Dam ‐ Taiwan Click to edit Master title style 14 Shih Kang Dam ‐ Taiwan Click to edit Master title style 15 Austin ((yBayless) Dam Austin, Pennsylvania September 30, 1911 Click to edit Master title style 16 Austin Dam – “Before” Click to edit Master title style 17 Austin Dam – “After” Click to edit Master title style 18 Austin Dam • Destroyed the myth that “gravity dams can’t fail” • Illustrates the need for detailed, comprehensive foundation investigations and foundation preparation • Illustrates the need for temperature expansion/contractionClick to edit Master joints title style in gravity dams 19 ViVaiont Dam Italy October 1963 Click to edit Master title style 20 Vaiont Dam – Double Arch 245m (800) ft high Click to edit Master title style 2121 Village of Longarone “Before” Vaiont Dam Failure Click to edit Master title style 22 The Vaiont Dam Disaster • Dam completed and filled • Reservoir cycled up and down several times over three years • Left Reservoir Slope Failed catastrophically • Within 30 – 40 seconds, some 270 million m3 of rock crashed into the reservoir. • Resulting waveClickovertopped to edit Master titledam style by about 100 – 150 m. 23 Vaiont Dam – Reservoir Slope Failure Click to edit Master title style 24 Longarone Village “After” Vaiont Dam Failure Click to edit Master title style 25 Vaiont Dam at the Top Click to edit Master title style 26 Teton Dam Teton, Idaho June 5, 1976 Click to edit Master title style 27 Teton – “Before” Click to edit Master title style 28 Start of Piping – June 5 –7:00 AM Click to edit Master title style 29 June 5 ‐11:20 AM Click to edit Master title style 30 June 5 – 11:50 AM (Crest still intact) Click to edit Master title style 31 June 5 – 11:50 AM (Crest now eroding) Click to edit Master title style 32 June 5 – 12:00 noon (Crest lost – maximum flood) Click to edit Master title style 33 Lessons Learned • Compaction is extremely important throughout the dam and especially at the abutments • Grout Curtains are critical to prevent piping • Keyway design is critical • Filters are a key feature to resist piping Click to edit Master title style (When in doubt, add a filter) 34 Compaction Against Right Abutment Click to edit Master title style 35 Compaction Equipment after Change Click to edit Master title style 36 Sayano‐Shushenskaya Khkhakassia, Russia August 17, 2009 Click to edit Master title style 37 Accident at Russia’s Largest Hydroelectric Power Station Click to edit Master title style 38 Dam Penstocks Spillway Units 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Powerhouse Control Building 39 40 The Accident – 2009 Aug 17 Click to edit Master title style 4141 Before the Accident Crane Power Units Air‐Oil TanksClick to edit Master title style Sump Tank Governor 4242 Pumps Generators floor After the Accident Sump Tank Air‐Oil Tanks Floor Unit 2 Click to edit Master title style Colector Ring Crosshead – Unit 2 Unit 1 4343 Generator floor General View Floor Click to edit Master title style 4444 General View Click to edit Master title style 4545 Before the Accident Generator Rotor –Unit 5 Click to edit Master title style The accident started here 4646 Generator Runner Sump Tank (turned) Air‐Oil Tank Crosshead 47 After the Accident Unit 7: destroyed Click to edit Master title style Unit 9: destroyed 4848 Unit 9 Unit 7 49 50 51 Unit 2 Units 7 and 9 52 Flood Flood 53 Lower Van Norman Dam Los Angeles, California February 9, 1971 A Classic thatClick to edit was Master title not style a failure! 54 Lower Van Norman February 9, 1971 • Lower Van Norman Dam was bu ilt by the Cityof LtLost AlAngeles as part of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1916 – 1918, using the hydraulic fill and puddledClick to edit fill Master techniques. title style A rolled fill addition was placed in 1924. • The embankment failed during the February 9, 1971 M. 6.7 San Fernando Earthquake, but no water was released. 55 Lower Van Norman Click to edit Master title style 56 Lower Van Norman Forerunner to Modern Liquefaction Analysis Susceptibility to Liquefaction Click to edit Master title style •Careful forensic evaluations by the geotechnical engineering group at U.C. Berkeley unraveled the dam’s failure by liquefaction of a zone of low density sandy hydraulic fill, shown in blue in the above sections. •The Sta tesubtlbsequentlysltdlated 30 other hdhydrau lic fill dams for retro fitting between 1973 – 75. 57 Swinggging Bridge Dam Sullivan County, New York May 5, 2005 Click to edit Master title style 58 SwingingSwinging Bridge Bridge Dam Dam Cross Cross Section Section Click to edit Master title style 59 Swinging Bridge Dam Click to edit Master title style 60 Swinging Bridge Dam Click to edit Master title style 61 Swinging Bridge Dam • Over time leaks developed • Fines transported to penstock during dewatering • Sinkholes developed on crest • Reservoir drained • Penstock & Unit abandoned • Dam repaired and refilled (3 yr shutdown) Click to edit Master title style 62 Silver Dam Lake Upper Peninsula, Michigan May 2003 Click to edit Master title style 63 Silver Lake Dam Dead River Hydroelectric Project • MtiMountain Top Storage LkLake – Main Concrete Dam with Spillway & Outlet Pipe/Gate Control – Auxiliary Dams and Dikes – Emergency Spillway with Erodible Fuse plug • May, 2003 –snowmelt, Gate Control not Activated • Fuse Plug Eroded • Main Dam Overtopped – minimal damage • Dam No. 2 overtopped & eroded away entirely Click to edit Master title style • Failure drained approximately 25,000 acre feet of water from Silver Lake Reservoir • $100 million damage – no fatalities 64 Silver Lake – Overtopping of Main Dam Click to edit Master title style 65 Saluda Dam Columbia, South Carolina Rehabilitation Click to edit Master title style 66 Saluda Dam A Failure that was Prevented! SALUDA RIVER WATEREE RIVER COLUMBIA SANTEE LAKE RIVER MURRAY Click to edit Master title style 67 Aerial View of Saluda Dam NORTH Intake Towers Spillway McMeekin Station Saluda Hydro Click to edit Master title style Ash Ponds & Bush Landfill River Rd. 68 Saluda Dam Existing Dam Hydroelectric Plant Lake Murray Lake Area 78 square miles Lake Capacity 1,600,000 acre feet Dam Length Click to edit Master title7,800 style feet Max Dam Height 200 feet Powerhouse Capacity 260 MW Original Construction Hydraulic Fill Original Completion 1930 69 OriginalOriginal Dam Dam Construction Construction • Dam was constructed 1927 ‐ 1930 • 11,000,000 cy‐‐semi‐hydraulic method Click to edit Master title style 7085 As‐Built Dam Configuration • Semi‐Hydraulic Fill • Most soils “Dumped” • No compaction Rolled Core Washed Fill Rip Rap Washed Fill Unwashed Fill Click to edit Master title style Unwashed Fill Sluiced Core Residual Soil 71 Dynamic Stability Analysis • Liquefaction Evaluation of Saluda Dam – Earthquake record selection – Liquefaction methodology • Post‐Seismic Stability Analysis Click to edit Master title style 72 Liquefaction Analysis Factor of Safety against Liquefaction (FSL) -0.02 0.32 0.66 1.00 1.33 1.67 2.00 3.78 5.57 7.35 Extensive Liquefaction,Click to edit Master Post title‐Seismic style FS < 1 73 Section AA’ (typ.) Lower Bound -0.03 0.31 0.66 1.00 1.33 1.67 2.00 3.51 5.02 6.53 BtBest Case Click to edit Master title style -0.06 0.30 0.65 1.00 1.33 1.67 2.00 3.96 5.92 7.88 74 Remediation Concept Competent Rock Rockfill Dam Click to edit Master title style • Length 5,100 feet • Max. Height 200 feet 75 Remediation Concept RCC Dam Click to edit Master title style • Length 2,200 feet • Max. Height 210 feet 76 Taum Sauk Upper Reservoir Lesterville, Missouri December 15, 2005 Click to edit Master title style 77 Taum Sauk on December 14, 2005 Click to edit Master title