Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance of a Dam with Stabilizing Fill using Drone Photogrammetry

Abstract

Post-earthquake reconnaissance is an important process for assessing the safety of massive structures. Dams are critical structures that require evaluation following an earthquake, as dam failure can lead to significant damage to the surrounding area. This paper presents drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) photogrammetry-based reconnaissance of the Angat Dam (Philippines), which has stabilizing fill, following the M 6.1 Luzon earthquake in April 2019. The author presents the results of visual inspection, drone digital mapping, and seismically induced deformation monitoring, as well as a general interpretation of dam safety. Analysis of the instrumentation data did not indicate that any significant changes in crest settlement, piezometric head, or seepage rate resulted from the earthquake. However, seismically induced longitudinal cracking along the dam crest was observed in the drone photogrammetry. The digital surface model, orthoimage, and as-built GIS geometry characterizations generated using the drone photogrammetry facilitated the geospatial analysis of seismic cracking and deformation. It is found that the uplift deformation was caused by counteracting effects between the existing dam body and its stabilizing fill. It is concluded that the results obtained using drone digital mapping are a valuable reference for future deformation monitoring using regular mapping methods in a 3D geospatial digital model.