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Analysis and Design of Dams for Earthquakes

Jeffrey Havelin, P.E.


Course Outline

This course is based on the FEMA guidelines, which provide a basic framework for the earthquake design and evaluation of dams. The general philosophy and principles for each part of the framework are described in sufficient detail to achieve a reasonable degree of uniformity in application among the Federal agencies involved in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and regulation of dams. The guidelines deal only with the general concepts and leave the decisions on specific criteria and procedures for accomplishing this work up to each agency. Because these guidelines generally reflect current practices, it will be necessary to make periodic revisions, additions, and deletions to incorporate state-of-the-practice earthquake engineering.

The scope of the seismic hazard study at a site depends on the seismicity of a region or site-specific considerations, the types of structures involved, and the consequences of failure. The design and evaluation of dams for earthquake loading should be based on a comparable level of study and analysis for each phase of the study (seismotectonic, geological, site, geotechnical and structural investigations). That level of study should reflect both the criticality of the structure and the complexity of the analysis procedures.

This course is based entirely on Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety- Earthquake analyses and design of Dams May 2005 published by FEMA. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials. You will be quizzed on the attached document in its entirety.

Learning Objective

This course contains general guidelines for specifying design earthquake loadings (for design or safety evaluation) and performing seismic analyses for the design of new dams (for evaluating the safety of existing dams or modifying existing dams).

The guidelines are presented in four parts

Review of design earthquake and design procedures

Review of various Dynamic Procedures

Review of the following Methods


Intended Audience

This course would be very informative for engineers involved with the design of dams.

Specifically the intended audience would include civil engineers, seismotectonic engineers, geological engineers, site engineers, geotechnical engineers, and structural engineers who may become involved with the design of dams.


Course Introduction

This course will review the FEMA guidelines, which provide a basic framework for the earthquake design and evaluation of dams. The general philosophy and principles for each part of the framework are described in sufficient detail to achieve a reasonable degree of uniformity in application among the Federal agencies involved in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and regulation of dams.


Course Content

This course is based entirely on the Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety- Earthquake Analyses and Design of Dams, May 2005 published by FEMA.

The link to the course materials is as follows:

Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety- Earthquake Analyses and Design of Dams


Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

At the completion of this class the design professional should understand the FEMA Dam Safety Guidelines, which provide a basic framework for the earthquake design and evaluation of dams.


Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.