On monolithic stability and reinforcement analysis of high arch dams

Monolithic stability safety and reinforcement based on monolithic stability are very important for arch dam design. In this paper, the issue is addressed based on deformation reinforcement theory. In this approach, plastic complementary energy norm can be taken as safety index for monolithic stability. According to deformation reinforcement theory, the areas where unbalanced force exists require reinforcement, and the required reinforcement forces are just the unbalanced forces with opposite direction. Results show that areas with unbalanced force mainly concentrate in dam-toes, dam-heels and faults.