The Yusufeli Dam comprised the construction of a 275 m high double-curvature concrete arch dam on a rock mass foundation with complex conditions. An arch dam relies heavily on its abutments to resist thrust loads imposed due to arching action, and requires a competent foundation.
The Yusufeli Dam rock mass foundation is made up of various layers of fractured rock of differing material parameters with widespread existence of fault lines within it. The rock mass layers have a broad range of parameters.
The Yusufeli Dam and foundation were modelled and analysed using MIDAS FEA NX software to evaluate and further design the structure to ensure structural integrity and global stability. The speaker will demonstrate the ability of MIDAS FEA NX to create a FE model of a concrete arch dam founded on a very complex rock mass foundation using 3-dimensional solid elements.
Eng. Ryan Cassells
Senior Dam Engineer, ARQ Consulting Engineers
11 years of Experience in Dam design and Analysis using FEM
11 years of Experience in Dam design and Analysis using FEM
Ryan is a Structural Dam Engineer with 11 years of post-graduate experience in the structural analysis and design of dams and associated hydraulic structures. He is registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and has worked on large concrete dams ranging from 20 m to 275 m in height.
His expertise lies in advanced numerical modelling and finite element analysis of dams subjected to complex loading and foundation conditions, including thermally induced stresses and seismic actions. He serves as the South African representative on ICOLD Technical Committee A – Computational Aspects of Analysis and Design of Dams, and is a member of the MIDAS FEA expert network. He has authored and co-authored 13 technical papers in national and international publications.