Abstract:
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The analysis of dam behaviour is an important issue within engineering practice. It is important to carry out a good interpretation of the data related to dams, whose materials should be characterized as well as their behavior in the dam. In this way, their behaviour can be properly understood and used in the future dam design and construction. Likewise, it is very important to conduct a thorough study of the factors affecting the behaviour of embankment dams, because it has to be ensured their integrity to avoid any catastrophe. In this Thesis, an earth and rockfill dam (Saint-Marguerite 3 dam), built in Quebec (Canada) between 1996 and 1998, is analyzed. (...) This Thesis presents the interpretation and a numerical analysis of the dam by the finite element method. (...) Starting from the data available and laboratory tests, which were performed on the materials forming the dam, the calibration of the parameters was carried out. Once the parameters were estimated, the construction, impoundment and operation of the dam were modeled. The calculated results are discussed and compared with field measurements in terms of displacements of the upstream and downstream rockfill shells. Finally, there were exposed the conclusions that have been drawn from the overall study. |