INVESTIGATION OF THREE DIMENSIONAL NONLINEAR BEHAVIOUR OF ATATURK DAM

One of the most important reasons for the damage in clay core rock fill dams is the sudden and big settlements of these dams. Therefore, it can be indicated that the forecast of sudden settlement in a clay core rockfill dam is extremely important. In the present study, it is presented that how the behavior of this type of dams changes by reservoir water effect according to the numerical analyses. Atatürk dam, which is the biggest clay core rockfill dam built in Turkey, is selected in three-dimensional analyses. Three-dimensional finite element model of Atatürk dam was modelled using FLAC3D software which is based on the finite difference method. Mohr-Coulomb material model was used for clay core, filters, rockfill and foundation in nonlinear analyses. Numerical analyses were carried out for full reservoir condition of the Atatürk Dam. Thereby the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the upstream side of the dam is assessed after finite element analyses. According to the numerical analyzes, it will be observed how much vertical settlement on crest of the Atatürk dam will be able to in time. In addition, principal stresses and horizontal displacements on the dam body are evaluated for full reservoir condition of the dam.