The project will result in a computer program for practical nonlinear analysis of concrete arch dams under earthquake loading. Vertical contraction joints and horizontal cracking planes will be approximately represented by the 'smearing' procedure with a single shell element discretization in the thickness direction. The program will achieve a balance between the importance of various parameters of the problem (opening, closing and sliding of joints and cracks, hydrodynamic interaction, foundation interaction, etc.) and the accuracy to which they are modeled. The level of accuracy will be sufficient to make more definite conclusions regarding the seismic safety of arch dams than is currently possible with linearly elastic analysis. The computational requirements will be small enough so that the program can function as practical tool. Since many seismic assessments of concrete arch dams are unsatisfactorily based on results of linearly elastic analysis, a practical nonlinear analysis tool is needed.
