Accurate estimation of intake tower response due to damreservoir-foundation seismic interaction

In the present article, based on numerical analyses, an equation is proposed for the prediction of themaximum drift of cylindrical intake towers surrounded by arbitrary reservoirs of concrete dams underseismic loads. Several models of 3-D finite elements according to the Euler-Lagrangian approach have beenemployed for a parametric study of the problem. The parameters included are tower height and radius, waterdepths of the inside and the surrounding reservoir of the tower, the ratio of the elastic moduli of concreteand foundation, and the tower distance from the dam wall. To design the corresponding numericalexperiments, Response Surface Method (RSM) is employed. Appropriate design seismic inputs for concretedam sites are selected as spectrum-compatible accelerograms of Kern County, Irpinia, and Manjil records.The non-linear regression method is used for the derivation of the multi-variable equation of maximum driftof the top of the intake tower under the design earthquake. Validation of the proposed equation versusrigorous model test results is carried out with a dramatic agreement. Thus, the convenient applicability ofthe proposed multi-variable equation for seismic analysis and design of intake towers in dam-reservoirsystems is made possible.

Accurate estimation of intake tower response due to damreservoir-foundation seismic interaction Keywords:

Intake tower , Interaction tower-dam-foundation-water , Numerical analysis , Response surface method , Seismic loading.