Effect of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete on Dynamic Response of Concrete Gravity Dam Under Earthquakes

Abstract Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is commonly used in lower floors buildings in low seismicity areas due to its lightweight property and high energy absorption capacity. This paper proposes a novel application of AAC as an effective seismic countermeasure in the reduction of vibrational energy for concrete gravity dam. According the vibrating characteristics and failure modes of gravity dam under earthquake excitation, AAC was placed in the upper zone of a gravity dam to reduce the seismic inertia force and consequently to increase the seismic safety of the dam. Dynamic responses of two non-overflow sections of a gravity dam were analyzed through finite element analysis utilizing a damaged plasticity constitutive model. The anti-seismic effect of using AAC in gravity dams is researched by inputting different kind of ground motion records. The comparison of the natural vibration characteristics, dam crest displacement, and dynamic damage of the dam were investigated. The results show that, AAC effectively improves seismic resistance of concrete gravity dams, particularly eliminating cracks in the concrete along reduced damage zones, through inertial force reduction and energy dissipation. The results warrant further considerations for applying AAC to gravity dams.