Accession Number:

AD1081509

Title:

Wave-Speed-Based Performance Indicators for Portugues Dam

Descriptive Note:

Technical Report

Corporate Author:

ERDC VICKSBURG

Personal Author(s):

• Diaz-Alvarez,Henry
• Chiarito,Vincent P.
• McKenna,Mihan H.
• Duron,Ziyad H.
• Orme,Peter
• Anderson,Spenser

Report Date:

2018-10-25

Pagination or Media Count:

25.0

Abstract:

Roller Compacted Concrete RCC construction techniques are used to raise existing dams and to build new dams. A particular and assumed advantage of the RCC technique is improved homogeneity in concrete condition throughout the dam. An opportunity to evaluate this on a large RCC dam was made available by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Portugues Dam. Through the application of a relatively new testing technique, estimates of a wave-speed-based Performance Indicator PI of the dam were obtained. The PI relates wave speeds associated with shear wave propagation in the dam to compression wave speeds for healthy concrete. Values ranging from 1.7-2.2 for Portugues Dam compare favorably to a value of 1.6 for nominal concrete.

Descriptors:

• infrasound
• dams
• Puerto rico
• construction
• vibration
• concrete
• test and evaluation
• Wave propagation
• secondary waves

Subject Categories:

• Civil Engineering
• Test Facilities, Equipment and Methods

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE