Citation

Meng Y, Fang Y, Wan M, Su Q, Tian B, Tong F. J. Appl. Geophys. 2019; 160: 242-253.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jappgeo.2018.11.016

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It's vital to determine the placement of the leakage inlets in the dam upstream face, because dam leakage usually results in engineering hazards such as increase in uplift pressure and aggravating frost-heaving and freeze-thaw damage. According to the numerical simulation of the constant electric field present around the concrete dam body, we analyzed the relationship between local potential difference (current density) and leakage areas, and the influence of low-resistance material on the detection of leakage areas. Numerical simulations show that under the on-site data of potential difference, we can detect inlets in the dam's upstream face successfully. This paper attempts to propose a field detection method to detect dam leakage inlets. This new technique and theoretical basis in operational testing and safety management can be applied to concrete dams. Practical application proves that leakage areas can be recognized accurately, and the results agree well with existing hydraulic observation data and geological information. We suggest that the electrical current field detection of reservoir water leakage areas can be used as a reasonable and effective method to detect concrete dam leakage.

Language: en

Keywords

Concrete dam; Current field; Engineering safety; Leakage detection