An Investigation on performance of the cut off wall and numerical analysis of seepage and pore water pressure of Eyvashan earth dam

Abstract

AbstractOne of the most important issues in earth dams is the control rate of seepage from the foundation and dam bodies. Due to the site of the dams, to increase the creep length and reduce the seepage, there are several methods for sealing the reservoir of dams that construction of the cut-off wall under the clay core of the dams is one of the most effective methods. In this study, the seepage rate and pore water pressure of the Eyvashan earth dam, comparison of instrument results with the results of numerical analysis and, finally, the performance of the cut-off wall are investigated. According to the results of instrumental and numerical analysis, the maximum seepage rate in full reservoir conditions is equal to 831,604 m3/year. To fit the data of instrumentation and numerical analysis, multivariate regression was used and the coefficient of determination was used which R2 = 0.9892 and R2 = 0.9834, respectively, were obtained for seepage and pore water pressure. Very good agreement between the results of the observed data and the predicted data indicates the proper behavior of the dam in terms of pore water pressure. Also, due to the results of numerical simulation and instrumentation, the pore water pressure in the downstream part of the cut-off wall is suddenly dropped, which indicates the correct operation of the cut-off wall.