Numerical modeling of the drainage system of concrete dam foundations

Abstract

In this paper a study about two-dimensional numerical modeling of the drainage system of concrete dam foundations is presented. The steady state seepage flows towards a single drain and through a horizontal layer in a dam foundation are analyzed numerically. From the comparison between analytical solutions and FLAC results some conclusions are taken about the effect of representing the drain by its axis, the choice of mesh size in the vicinity of the drain, and the errors in discharges and heads when the drainage system is modeled as a continuous plane in 3D models. An example of application to the study of flow in an arch dam foundation is presented.