THEME A

Fluid Structure Interaction

Arch Dam Reservoir at Seismic loading









Formulator:
Graz University of Technology
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management

1.1 Focus of this benchmark example
The focus of this benchmark is to carry out the Dynamic Fluid Structure Interaction for
a large arch dam. Every participant may choose his own order of details in modeling.
The main goal of this example is the application of different approaches like:
Added mass technique (Westergaard, Zangar,)
Acoustic Elements (compressible, incompressible)
Fluid Elements (compressible, incompressible)
Further on, the usage of different Boundary Conditions is possible for:
Reservoir - Foundation
- Reflecting (on the bottom and the sides)
- Non-reflecting (at the end of the reservoir)
The modeling of the block joint opening due to tensile stresses and nonlinear effects -
is not focus of this benchmark example. However, to carry out this analysis in the time
domain will provide the opportunity for further non-linear analyses.
1.2 General basic assumptions
The following general basic assumptions and boundary conditions for the investigations
should be used:
Same spatial discretization (Model/Mesh) of the Structure, Foundation and
Reservoir
Same Material Parameters
Acceleration-Time-History in X-,Y-,Z-Direction
Reservoir is infinite in length (non-reflecting)
Rayleigh Damping
Results to be compared - Visualization
Based on these basic assumptions and results gained the contributors are encouraged to intensify
and focus their effort to achieve results with higher profound physical justification and explain
the differences. (E.g.: different spatial discretization, more appropriate modeling of the
interaction; different length of the reservoir; need for nonlinear effects).
An interpretation of the evaluated results from an engineering point of view should be given.

2. Modell and Geometry
An Arch Dam, Foundation and Reservoir Model layout for the benchmark has been generated
and is available for downloading.
2.1 Arch Dam Model
Symmetric Geometry
Total Height: 220 Meters
Valley width (crest): ~ 430 Meters
Valley width (bottom): ~ 80 Meters
2.1.1 Arch Dam Geometry
The Arch Dam Geometry has been generated with the Program Arch Dam Design,which was
developed as part of the Master-Thesis by DI Manuel Pagitsch.

Arch Dam Model Plan View











View from the upstream Main Section

2.2 Foundation Model
Symmetry is used for the foundation too.
Height: 500 Meters
Length: 1000 Meters
Width 1000 Meters


2.3 Reservoir Model
Length: assumed minimum of 460 Meters (> 2x Height of the Dam)
Modeling the interaction with Acoustic- or Fluid Elements


2.4 Acceleration Time History
Transient Acceleration (amax 0.1g)
X-,Y-,Z- Direction
Artificially generated time history


3. Material Parameters
The Material properties are defined for isotropic and homogenous conditions.
Rock mass
Density: 0 kg/m3
Poisson - ratio: 0,2
Youngs - modulus: 25000 MPa
Water
Density: 1000 kg/m3
Bulk - modulus: 2200 MPa

Dam
Density: 2400 kg/m3
Poisson - ratio: 0,167
Youngs - modulus: 27000 MPa

4. Mesh Properties
4.1 Coarse Mesh
Arch Dam
Total number of nodes: 2083
Total number of elements: 356
312 quadratic hexahedral elements of type C3D20R (ABAQUS CAE)
44 quadratic wedge elements of type C3D15 (ABAQUS CAE)
Foundation
Total number of nodes: 11608
Total number of elements: 2340
quadratic hexahedral elements of type C3D20R (ABAQUS CAE)
Reservoir
Total number of nodes: 12493
Total number of elements: 2640
quadratic hexahedral elements of type AC3D20: A 20-node quadratic acoustic brick.
(ABAQUS CAE)


4.3 Elements and Node Numbering in ABAQUS/CAE
The provided input-files are containing a list of the nodes and elements of the mesh and also
predefined node sets for the different sections which should be investigated. The Node
numbering of ABAQUS/CAE is plotted in the following figures.

These figures are showing the node numbering for the two different element types which are
used in the provided input-files.
5. Loading
The following loading sequence is intended to be used.
Gravity
Hydrostatic Water Pressure (full supply water level = Crest Height)
Seismic Loading
Modal Superposition or
Direct time integration (Implicit/Explicit)








Fluid Structure Interaction
Arch Dam Reservoir at Seismic loading
Dam-Water Interaction
Interaction of an arch dam with the impounded water leads to an increase in the
dam vibration periods. This is because the dam cannot move without displacing the water in
contact with it. The fact that water moves with the dam increases the total mass that is in
motion. This added mass increases the natural periods of the dam, which in turn affects the
response spectrum ordinates and hence the effective earthquake inertia forces. It can also
cause an increase in damping due to partial absorption of pressure waves at the reservoir
boundary and radiation towards the upstream. These effects tend to change the earthquake
response of the dam with respect to that for the dam with empty reservoir, with the net
result depending on the characteristics and component of earthquake ground motion and on the
dam-water interaction model used. In this article, dam-water interaction during earthquake
is modelled using added-mass concept which was first formulated by Westergaard.
Loads
Dead loads
The dead load of an arch dam can be calculated form the volume of the arch dam times
the specific weight of concrete. To gain the maximum value of the dead load, the weight of all
appurtenances must be added too.

Dead load of an arch dam
Hydrostatic Pressure
The hydrostatic pressure, which is applied to the arch dam, can be calculated from the
hydrostatic pressure distribution. As the distribution does only depend on the height z , the
maximum value of hydrostatic pressure occurs at the bottom of the arch dam. Water pressure is
applied in direction perpendicular to the surface and therefore a curved surface causes vertical
and horizontal water pressure.

Hydrostatic pressure of an arch dam


Earthquake
Earthquake caused loads applied to an arch dam depend on the magnitude and the frequency of
the earthquake and the resonant frequency of the dam itself. To analyse earthquake originated
loads, complex dynamic models, processed with Finite Element software, are necessary.

THE CALCULATION OF STRESSES AND DISPLACEMENTS WITH ABAQUS CAE
Abaqus CAE is Finite Element software. Finite Element can be used to calculate the strains and
displacements of loaded structures approximately, by using a numerical calculation method. As
the calculated geometry of the arch dam is imported into Abaqus, several steps must be done
before the analysis of the stresses and displacements. The discretisation of the model and the
definition of the material as well as the setting of the boundary conditions are just a few of them.
As the analysis is done the stresses and displacements can be visualised within the results screen
of the program.


Abaqus CAE user interface



Finite element method (FEM)
The Finite Element Method (FEM) is a key technology in the modeling and simulation of
advanced engineering systems.
The FEM is a numerical method which distributes field variables in the problem domain,
harder to obtain analytically. For instance, it is applied to determine the distribution of some field
variables: the temperature or heat flux in thermal analysis, the electrical charge in electrical
analysis etc. (Liu & Quek, 2003).
The FEM divides the problem domain into several sub domains. The smaller elements
usually have a very simple geometry. A continuous function of an unknown field variable is
approximated using piecewise linear functions in each sub-domain, called an element formed by
nodes. Next principles helped the elements tied to one another. This process leads the entire
system can be solved easily to yield the required field variable (Liu & Quek, 2003).
The behavior of a phenomenon in an engineering system depends upon the geometry or
domain of the system, the property of the material or medium, and the boundary, initial and
loading conditions. Normally the geometry or domain can be very complex. Further, the
boundary and initial conditions can also be complicated. Therefore, it is very difficult to solve
the governing differential equation via analytical means. Thus, in practice, most of the problems
are solved using numerical methods. Amongst these, the FEM is the most popular one, due to its
practicality and versatility (Liu & Quek, 2003).
Four steps are included in the procedure of computational modeling by using the FEM
broadly:
Modeling of the geometry
Real structures, components or domains have to be reduced to a manageable geometry, as
generally they are very complex. The geometry is eventually represented by a collection of
elements and the accuracy of representation is controlled by the number of elements used. It is
obvious that more elements we have, the more accurate the solution shall be. Unfortunately,
more elements demand a longer the computational time is required. Hence, the number of the
elements is always being limited, due to constrain on computational hardware and software.
Graphic interfaces are often used to create and manipulate of the geometrical objects, such as
computer aided design (CAD) software which can significantly save time to create the geometry
(Liu & Quek, 2003).
Knowledge, experience and engineering judgment are very important in modeling the geometry
of a system. An example of the having sufficient knowledge in the simplification required by the
mathematical modeling: a plate has three dimensions geometrically. However, the plate theory of
mechanics is represented mathematically only in two dimensions. Hence plate elements will be
used in meshing surfaces. A similar situation can be found in shells. The beam element has to be
used to mesh the lines in models; this is also true for truss structure (Liu & Quek, 2003).
Meshing (discretization)
Mesh generation is very important in the pre-process. Proper theories are needed for
discretizing the governing differential equations based on the discretized domains. The domain
has to be meshed into elements of specific shapes such as triangles and quadrilaterals. During the
mesh process, some information must prepared, such as elements connectivity, due to the later
formation process of the FEM equations.
Based on the mesh generated, a few types of approach are provided to establish the
simultaneous equations. The first is based on energy principles; the second is weighted residual
method. The third approach is based on the Taylor series, which leads to the formation of the
traditional finite difference method (FDM). The fourth approach is based on the control of
conservation laws on each finite element in the domain. The Finite Volume Method (FVM) is
established using this approach. Another approach is integral representation, used in some mesh
free methods.

It is so far shown that the first two are often used for solids and structures, and the others often
used for fluid flow simulation (Liu, 2002).
Specification of material property
The engineering system always consists of several materials. For each individual element
or a group of elements, materials properties must be defined. Different sets of material properties
are required in different simulated phenomena. For example, Youngs modulus and Poissons
ration are required in the stress analysis of solids and structures, whereas the thermal
conductivity coefficient will be required in a thermal analysis (Liu & Quek, 2003).
Specification of boundary, initial and loading conditions
Boundary, initial and loading conditions are crucial parts in solving the simulation.
Again, to accurately simulate these conditions for actual engineering systems requires
experience, knowledge and proper engineering judgments. They are different from problem to
problem and usually done easily by using commercial pre-processors (Liu & Quek, 2003).


MODELLING AND CALCULATION WITH ABAQUS CAE

a. AN I NTRODUCTI ON I NTO THE CALCULATION WI TH ABAQUS CAE
This part of this master thesis is concerned with the calculation of the stresses and
displacements of the arch dam, created with the Arch Dam Design Input Manager. As the
model is imported ABAQUS CAE, some steps are necessary before starting the investigation of
the displacements and stresses. Beside the definition of surfaces, which simplify the evaluation
of the results, the discretisation of the model, the adding of loads and materials and the setting of
boundary conditions, have to be done. The sub chapters from below would detail the procedure
to complete to model until starting the calculation.

b. DEFI NE SURFACES
Surfaces and sets are created to simplify the investigation of the calculation results of the
structural analysis. On the one hand, the surfaces of the partitions are used to display the surface
only, when evaluate the results and on the other hand, the definition of the surface of the
abutment and the upstream and downstream side is used to facilitate the assigning of loads or
boundary conditions.

The surfaces and sets of the arch dam




c. CREATE A MESH MODEL DI SCRETI SATION
Coarse mesh is used in this Benchmark.
As the structural analysis of the arch dam considers static loads only, the number of elements
is appropriate regarding the calculation time. When performing an analysis considering dynamic
loads like earthquake accelerations the number of elements should be reduced significantly.
Arch Dam
Total number of nodes: 2083
Total number of elements: 356
312 quadratic hexahedral elements of type C3D20R (ABAQUS CAE)
44 quadratic wedge elements of type C3D15 (ABAQUS CAE)
Foundation
Total number of nodes: 11608
Total number of elements: 2340
quadratic hexahedral elements of type C3D20R (ABAQUS CAE)
Reservoir (used in extract frequency step)
Total number of nodes: 12493
Total number of elements: 2640
quadratic hexahedral elements of type AC3D20: A 20-node quadratic acoustic brick.
(ABAQUS CAE)

The mesh of the calculation model


d. SET MATERI AL AND SECTI ON PARAMETERS
After the discretisation of the model, the material and section parameters have to be set for
the arch dam and the foundation. Beside the density, which is necessary to calculate the dead
weight of the parts, the Youngs Modulus and the Poissons Ratio have to be determined to set
the structural behaviour of the different parts. As these material parameters are chosen, the
section parameters have to be assigned to the different parts.

d.1. CONCRETE
The material, which is assigned to the arch dam, is concrete. The density of the taken
concrete is 2400kg/m and the Young Modulus is 27000 MPa. The chosen Poissons Ratio is
0.167. The chosen section category is solid and the type is homogenous.

d.2. ROCK
The material, which is assigned to the foundation, is rock, with a density of 0 kg/m, a
Young Modulus of 25000 MPa and a chosen Poissons Ratio of 0.2. Additionally the chosen
section category is solid and the type is homogenous.

d.3. WATER
The material, which is assigned to the water, is water, with a density of 1000 kg/m, a
Bulk Modulus of 2200 MPa. Additionally the chosen section category is solid and the type is
homogenous.

e. CREATE LOADS
The loads, which are assigned to the arch dam to investigate the structural behaviour are the
dead weight, the water pressure and three different transient acceleration (a
max
=0.1g), X-
direction, Y-direction, Z-direction.

e.1. DEAD WEI GHT
The dead weight is assigned to the whole arch dam and created by using the mass of the
arch dam and the acceleration of 9,81 m/s in the z direction. To simplify the modelling and
calculation, the deadweight is assigned monolithic.

The dead weight of the arch dam
e.2. WATER PRESSURE
The Water pressure is assigned to the upstream surface of the arch dam only. To set the
water pressure the distribution hydrostatic and the magnitude 2158000Pa, which can be
calculated from the dam height and the specific weight of water, has to be chosen. Further the
zero pressure height, which is the height at the crest elevation and the reference pressure height,
which is the height at the base elevation of the dam.

The hydrostatic distribution of the water pressure
e.3. SEI SMI C LOADS
The three components of the ground accelerations (X-, Y-, Z- direction) during the earthquake
were used as an input to linear finite element acceleration time history method respectively. The
earthquake was 0.1g and the duration of the earthquake was 20 seconds.
For the dynamic analysis the damping type needs to be specified. The damping ratio which
determines the behavior of the system was set to 0.02.
Due to the ability of taking small time intervals of the earthquake duration in the analysis, the
finite element acceleration time history method was used to determine the linear dynamic
responses of the gravity arch dam in the attempt of giving more accurate information. In this
study the time interval was used to be 0.01 second.
For seismic analysis, three stochastically independent acceleration time histories are used
according to the data provided by the formulator. These accelerations are scaled according to the
peak ground accelerations of these components are:
Downstream-upstream (X- direction) = 0.1 g
Vertically upwards (Y- direction) = 0.1 g
Cross valley direction (Z- direction) = 0.1 g
For the seismic analysis direct time history approach is used and hydrodynamic pressure is
computed by Westergaards added mass method. According to westergaard, the hydrodynamic
pressures that the water exerts on the dam during an earthquake are the same as if a certain body
of water moves back and forth with the dam whiles the remainder of the reservoir is left inactive.
The added mass per unit area of the upstream wall is given in approximate form by the
expression

where
w
is the density of water.
It should be mentioned that in calculating the interface forces between dam and wedge, only
the stiffness of foundation is considered and density of it is taken as zero. In other words a
massless foundation is considered.

f. SET BOUNDARY CONDI TI ONS BCS AND CONSTRAI NTS
The last step before starting the calculation of the stresses and displacements is the definition
of the boundary conditions and constraints. The boundary conditions have to be set for the edges
of the whole model, whereas the constraints describe the conditions between two parts within the
model. The boundary conditions are set by locking the displacements of the direction orthogonal
to the surface of each edge and the constraints are set by determining the abutment surface
between the arch dam and the foundation to be tied.
The foundation boundaries are fixed everywhere except along the foundation surface at the
dam crest elevation.