The use of FLAC for the seismic evaluation of a concrete gravity dam including dam-water-sediments-foundation rock interaction

Every second year, the Technical Committee A (Computational Aspects of Dam Analysis and Design) of ICOLD organizes an international benchmark workshop on numerical analysis of dams. The purpose is to share knowledge and experience regarding numerical modelling within the fields of dam safety, planning, design, construction as well as operation and maintenance of dams. The Terms of Reference for Committee A state; ”BenchmarkWorkshops are organised to compare numerical models between one another and/or with reference solutions, including the dissemination and publication of results”. The 14th ICOLD International Benchmark Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Dams was held from the 6th to the 8th September 2017 in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It was organized by the Local Organizing Committee, on behalf of the Swedish National Committee of ICOLD (SwedCold) and the ICOLD Technical Committee A. It was hosted by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and one of Europe’s leading technical universities. With respect to hydropower and dam engineering, KTH has for many years been active within of the Swedish hydropower Center (SVC), a key centre for research and educational activities in Sweden. SwedCOLD established in 1931, and is one of the oldest members of the International Commission On Large Dams, ICOLD. The development of hydro power for electricity production was initiated in the late 19th century and made the large scale industrialisation in Sweden possible. About 2000 hydropower plants are in operation in Sweden today, producing almost half of the total electricity supply. Considering the many and relatively old dams in Sweden, organizing the benchmark workshop was important to increase the knowledge regarding managing aging hydropower structures. The 14th ICOLD International Benchmark Workshop has addressed current challenges regarding design and maintenance of existing dams and improved the understanding of these by exchange of experience on the use of numerical modelling for design, performance evaluation and safety assessment of dams. On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the formulators/moderators of each theme for their outstanding work to prepare the themes, reviewing the papers and evaluating the results. I also want to thank all participants to the benchmark workshop for their contributions and their presence to this benchmark workshop. Finally, the support from the Technical Committee A and the support from the companies and organizations that sponsored this benchmark workshop is gratefully acknowledged.