Instrumental Systems for Diagnostics of

Seismic Response of Bridges and Dams

Available Instrumental Systems

2.4 Strong Motion Instruments on California Dams

D.A. Gutierrez
California Division of Safety of Dams

There are 1251 dams under the jurisdiction of the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) and an additional
178 dams owned by the federal government within California. Approximately 100 dams in California
have, to some extent, strong motion instruments on or around the structures. Very few dams have an
extensive array. Most of the instruments are SMA-1 models and are maintained either by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) or California Division of Mines and Geology (CDMG).
STRONG MOTION INSTRUMENTS AND DAM PERFORMANCE

There are many case histories of strong motion instruments being triggered at dams during earthquakes.
However, most of these case histories occurred at either far distances or during smaller events with peak
ground accelerations at the dam generally less then 0.3g. These smaller loads generally produce responses
to the dams in the linear range. Although these case histories have provided insight into the behavior of
dams, it is more academic than providing data to predict the adequacy of dams as related to dam safety.
After the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, DSOD embarked on an aggressive program to assess
hydraulic fill dams in California. As a result, most of the very weak earthfill dams that would have problems in moderate shaking (less than 0.3g) have been repaired. Very few dams in California have been
loaded to anywhere near their design load, especially with instrumentation that would give analyst insight
into their behavior within their nonlinear range. Dams that have been loaded in the nonlinear range are
more significant to understanding their behavior as related to dam safety.
PROPOSAL FOR FUTURE INSTRUMENTATION ON DAMS

Working with CDMG and dam owners throughout California, DSOD is trying to include additional
strong motion instrumentation on various types of dams, not only in high seismic areas, but also in areas
with a high probability of experiencing strong shaking in the near future. Not only are strong motion
instruments necessary, but also other instrumentation is critical when trying to understand the overall
effects of earthquakes on dams. Depending on the dam type, instrumentation such as survey monuments,
piezometers, slope indicators, and crack meters are needed to supplement the strong motion data.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR DAM ANALYSIS

More strong motion instrumentation data will help understand the following areas of concern:
Concrete Dams

Foundation/structure interaction
Variation of input ground motion along the contact
Damping effects
Hydrodynamic effects of water

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Instrumental Systems for Diagnostics of

Seismic Response of Bridges and Dams

Available Instrumental Systems

Contraction and lift joint openings effects

Sliding along contraction or lift joints
Concrete cracking effects
Earth Dams

Attenuation/amplification of acceleration
Failure modes of embankments
Variation of input ground motion along the contact
Soil strengths/pore pressure increases and reductions effects
LIBRARY OF RECORDS

A library of records, like the COSMOS Virtual Data Center, is critical to the current analysis techniques for
dams. With the availability of faster computers, it is possible to analyze the effects of many earthquakes on
dams. Using more records with less manipulation to them will continue to become more routine and
increase the confidence in analysis. There are also a wide variety of response spectra and attenuation relationships due to the many complexities of earthquakes. As more earthquake records become available, the
engineer can rely more heavily on site-specific relationships.

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Instrumental Systems for Diagnostics of

Seismic Response of Bridges and Dams

Available Instrumental Systems

Fig. 1. Sensor locations New Bullards Bar Dam

Fig. 2. New Bullards Bar Dam

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Instrumental Systems for Diagnostics of

Seismic Response of Bridges and Dams

Available Instrumental Systems

Fig. 3. Sensor locations Pacoima Reservoir

Fig. 4. Pacoima Reservoir

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Instrumental Systems for Diagnostics of

Seismic Response of Bridges and Dams

Available Instrumental Systems

Fig. 5. Sensor locations Lexington Dam

Fig. 6. Lexington Dam

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