Danial Fakhri

Development of Semi-Analytical Methods for Estimating Hydraulic Intensity in Dam Spillways for Predicting Rock Mass Erosion

Direction: Dr. Ali Saeidi

Co-direction: Dr. Alain Rouleau, Dr. Marco Quirion (Hydro-Québec)

Rôle : Doctorant

Informations de contact: dfakhri@etu.uqac.ca

Informations de la recherche : The erosion of rock masses in unlined dam spillways, involving the interaction between hydraulic loads and the rock mass resistance to failure, remains an important safety and sustainability concern. However, current approaches often lack the necessary precision, potentially due to estimation methods used to determine for the hydraulic intensity or the selected geomechanical parameters affecting rock mass erosion. For this purpose, The scale model is outfitted with instruments that gather essential hydraulic data, such as flow discharge, pressure head variations, and velocity at various points. This setup enables an advance analysis of hydraulic loads within the scaled spillway. Hydraulic parameters, including static and dynamic pressure, will be measured at various points in the open channel and within the joints. Based on the experimental results, the hydraulic intensity factor will be calculated as a function of inflow rate and rock mass parameters, including water pressure inside and above the joints. These criteria will be compared to determine their efficiency in predicting rock mass erosion, and the findings will be discussed.