Nonlinear finite element analysis of cracks in spillway piers in Zhaotai Reservoir

spillway piers;  nonlinear finite elements;  local arc length method;  Cracks

The spillway of the Zhaotai Reservoir was completed in 1970, and during operation, a penetrating crack was created near the support beam of the spillway pier. As the main building in the water conservancy hub, the reliability of the spillway itself is an important guarantee for the safety of the hub, so it is necessary to find out the cause of the crack in the spillway pier and analyze whether the gate pier running with crack is safe and stable. The nonlinear finite element analysis of the spillway pier of Zhaotai Reservoir successfully simulated the crack propagation, the causes of concrete cracking near the gate pier support beam were discussed, and improvement measures were proposed. The results of calculation and analysis have been adopted for engineering.