A three-dimensional boundary element technique for dynamic analysis of arch
dams including dynamic interaction and sediments on the bottom of the reservoir
is presented. The dam and the foundation rock are assumed to be viscoelastic
domains with linear behaviour. The water is assumed to be compressible and the
sediment is considered as a two-phase poroelastic material according to Biot's
theory. The four domains (dam, foundation rock, water and bottom sediments)
are discretized and the interaction between them is rigorously represented. The
effects of sediments on the dynamic response of arch dams are evaluated for
rigid and compliant foundation. Upstream, vertical and cross-stream excitation
are considered. The influence of the degree of saturation of the sediment is
analysed. Other modelling of the sediment as a single-phase scalar medium are
considered in order to reduce the degrees of freedom of the system.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología PB96-1322-C03-0
