Earthquake Damage Analysis of Concrete Gravity Dams: Modeling and Behavior under Near-Fault Seismic Excitations

Abstract

In the near-fault region of an earthquake, ground motions are strongly affected by complex mechanisms and can be significantly different from typical far-fault ground motions. Although the significance of near-fault ground motions has been widely recognized, its influence on the earthquake performance of concrete gravity dams has not yet been fully quantified. This article investigates the effects of near-fault ground motions on the nonlinear seismic response behavior of concrete gravity dams. In particular, the characteristics of different aspects of near-fault ground motions are evaluated and the significance of various near-fault ground motion parameters is examined.