Analysis of sliding of a base-excited model of a concrete gravity dam monolith

This paper describes the results obtained from an experimental and numerical study on a model of a concrete gravity dam monolith. The model was unbonded at the base in order to simulate postcracking state of a dam monolith. The objective of the work was to determine amounts of horizontal sliding of the model, preloaded by a simulated horizontal hydrostatic load, and subjected to prescribed base excitations. The base excitations used for the study varied in frequency content and intensity. The experimental study included a series of shake table tests on the model. Simple numerical models to simulate shake table tests were developed during the numerical study. Results obtained using these models were compared with those obtained from experiments. The agreement of the experimental and numerical results was good for low frequency excitations but not as good for excitations with higher dominant frequencies.