The Effect of Grout Curtain Efficiency on Abutments Stability of an Arch Dam

Abutment stability analysis of arch dams is one of the most challenging aspects in dam stability field of study. Generally, the rigid block model which has been presented by Londe is used to evaluate the stability of foundation wedges. In this paper the rock wedge in the left abutment of Luzzone dam has been studied. For this purpose, three components of unit-g acceleration are applied to the dam-reservoir-foundation finite element model. The safety factors are calculated due to different distribution of uplift pressure on the planes based on the extent of damages presumed for the grout curtain. The obtained results indicate that the uplift pressure can strongly affect the foundation stability and may lead to the wedge movement.