| A There are 35 dams in Puerto Rico classified as high risk dams. One of the natural hazards that can severely compromise their structural integrity is a strong earthquake. Almost all dams in operation in the island were built before the seventies, when the earthquake effects began to be considered in their design. The object of this study is to carry out a comprehensive seismic assessment of the structural safety of the Dos Bocas dam. Simple and sophisticated methods for seismic analysis of concrete dams were implemented, using commercial, public domain and in-house computer programs. The design spectrum recommended by the current code and specially developed spectra for the site of the dam were used in the seismic analysis, along with synthetic earthquakes compatible with these spectra. After an extensive analysis, it was found that the dam is capable to withstand a strong earthquake with some structural damages, but without collapse. |
