Evaluation of the movements of the dam embankments by means of geodetic and geotechnical methods

Abstract

In this study, the evaluation of the surface movements that took place after the completion of an earth fill dam constructed by staged construction have been evaluated by means of geodetic and geotechnical methods. Horizontal and vertical displacement measurements which were recorded between the years of 1987-1991 and 1991-1996 have been analyzed geodetically by using the Karlsruhe method. In both measurement periods, significant horizontal and vertical movements were found from adjustments and analyses of the measurements. The behavior of the dam and its foundation layers were analyzed by utilizing finite element method in two-dimensional plane-strain conditions to determine the horizontal and vertical surface movements. The results of geodetic measurements were compared with the results of the numerical analysis, and it is observed that there is a good agreement between the field measurements and computed values.