Coupled stress–seepage analysis of Karun III concrete arch dam

The response of a concrete arch dam is very much affected by the mechanisms of foundation rock behaviour. This type of dam is highly sensitive to displacements of its foundation owing to the low stiffness of the dam compared to the displacements of its foundation and abutments. Seepage is a load type which is distributed widely within foundation rock. Therefore, it could have important effects on displacements and stresses in the dam. In this paper, the Karun III double-curvature, 205 m high arch dam is selected as a case study. Effective stress analyses are carried out for the dam. The analysis results are compared with values recorded by instruments. Furthermore, the effects of some basic input parameters on the response of the dam are investigated. Subsequently, basic parameters are calibrated based on the initial investigation results, and the effective stress analysis is carried out for the Karun III dam by employing the modified parameters.