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This paper aims at compiling the most relevant information concerning the use of cement-based mortars and concretes in the rehabilitation, retrofitting, and strengthening of hydraulic structures, namely concrete dams. The most important properties of cementbased mortars and concretes as repair materials are addressed, with a special focus on its compatibility with the concrete substrate. After a brief allusion to generic preparatory works, some of the most common practices are described. The main topics are mortar and concrete toppings, i.e., patches and overlays and thickening of the dam section. Among overlays, shotcrete and underwater works are addressed in detail. Littlerock, Oberems, and Storfinnforsen dam interventions are briefly described as successful rehabilitations involving the shotcrete method, whereas the Albbruck-Dogern dam intervention is given as an example of effective underwater repair works. As for dam section modifications, Kölnbrein, Olef, and Sasanagare dams are presented as conventional mass concrete placements within rehabilitation operations, while Les Toules, Gibraltar, Santa Cruz, and Littlerock dams are references for roller compacted concrete strengthening.

Injecting discontinuities is a recurrent procedure for the rehabilitation of concrete hydraulicstructures, namely repairing cracked dam bodies and deteriorated lift and contraction joints.Within this scope, a relatively detailed description of the most important cement injectiongrouts features is presented, including the main advantages and drawbacks compared toalternatives. The cement-based grouts are among the most utilised materials in these contexts.Economic and environmental related aspects are among the main advantages ofcement-based grouts, although some technical features of these grouting materials are alsofavourable. The equipment utilised for the preparation and for the application of cementitiousgrouts is also mentioned. This document also addresses aspects related to the assessment ofconcrete dams

Evaluation of the sliding stability of concrete dams requires the use of numerical tools notonly able to simulate the coupled hydromechanical behavior but also able to adequately represent thefoundation discontinuities and the specific features of dam foundations. The formulation of a threedimensional (3D) small displacement finite element model based on interface elements to simulatethe discontinuities is presented. In this model, the hydraulic behavior is simulated assuming that thewater flow occurs only along channels located at the edges of the triangular interface elements thatsimulate the discontinuities. The model is used to perform coupled hydromechanical analysis of alarge arch-gravity dam and to assess safety against dam base sliding, assuming different constitutivemodels at the dam/foundation interface and two different approaches: (i) strength reduction methodand (ii) amplification of the hydrostatic pressure, assuming an increase in the reservoir level. Thepresent study shows that consistent results are obtained with the proposed numerical model andthat stability analysis should preferably be carried out using the method of increasing the hydrostaticpressure and the corresponding uplift pressures, as this methodology leads to significantly lowersafety factors.

The main aim of structural safety control is the multiple assessments of the expected dam behaviour based on models and the measurements and parameters that characterise the dam’s response and condition. In recent years, there is an increase in the use of data-based models for the analysis and interpretation of the structural behaviour of dams. Multiple Linear Regression is the conventional, widely used approach in dam engineering, although interesting results have been published based on machine learning algorithms such as artificial neural networks, support vector machines, random forest, and boosted regression trees. However, these models need to be carefully developed and properly assessed before their application in practice. This is even more relevant when an increase in users of machine learning models is expected. For this reason, this paper presents extensive work regarding the verification and validation of data-based models for the analysis and interpretation of observed dam’s behaviour. This is presented by means of the development of several machine learning models to interpret horizontal displacements in an arch dam in operation. Several validation techniques are applied, including historical data validation, sensitivity analysis, and predictive validation. The results are discussed and conclusions are drawn regarding the practical application of data-based models.

Some successful rehabilitation schemes involving the use of cement-based grouts for the repair of cracks in concrete dams are described. The author reviews the advantages and drawbacks of using cement-based materials in the context of the four main types of concrete dams (gravity, buttress, arch and multiple arch-buttress structures). These and other successful case studies can serve as guidance for future rehabilitation schemes.

The lifetime of a geothermal well is strongly dependent on the long-term performance of the cement used for its construction. The critical zones in well cements are the outermost layers, where the cement encounters either the steel casing or the rock formation. The current paper presents a study of the changes in the interfacial transition zone that forms between geothermal cements and volcanic rocks, after hydrothermal treatment at 290°C. Cement slurries were poured into cavities drilled into ignimbrite blocks and allowed to set at 90°C. The assemblages were autoclaved under typical geothermal conditions, both with and without a carbon dioxide overpressure at 290°C. The addition of silica to the cement dictates the phases that form in cement. When exposed to carbon dioxide, these calcium silicate hydrate phases carbonate, at distinct carbonation rates. The rate at which these phases form and/or carbonate affects the reaction extent of the cement with the rock and, eventually, the cement durability.

The limited durability of the cement in acidic fluids is one of the main issues controlling the lifetime of a geothermal well. The most critical region is the outermost layer of the cement adjacent to the formation.This paper provides insight into the way in which well cementing formulations interact with a common rock formation in geothermal environments, at 150

Detailed models of concrete mesostructure can be used to understand the interactions between its components and predict complex deterioration scenarios. The discrete or distinct element method (DEM) is currently being used for modeling the fracture process of quasibrittle materials, such as rock and concrete. An explicit formulation of a DEM contact model that includes aging viscoelastic behavior based on the solidification theory is proposed, allowing the DEM particle model to be applied to delayed concrete analysis. Because of thetimestep constraints of the DEM, a fast numerical procedure for the analysis of long-term aging viscoelastic behavior of concrete is also proposed. A calibration procedure for the aging viscoelastic contact model parameters is presented, including new expressions for the delayed deformability macro properties. The presented validation tests using a one-contact particle assembly show good agreement between the fast numerical procedure, the fully explicit DEM procedure with small timestep, and the creep compliance analytical solution. The contact aging model validation tests using larger regular and random particle assemblies show that the fast numerical procedure significantly reduces the computational costs by introducing large timesteps in which the solution is computed while giving the same accuracy as the fully explicit procedure. The DEM aging concrete model is validated using a B3 model fit to Ward et al.

Temperature plays a significant part in the cracking phenomenon of mass concrete structures, and thereforethermal analysis is of major importance, especially during construction, due to the heat of hydration of thecement. A transient coupled 3D finite element analysis of the thermal behaviour of Alqueva dam during con-struction is presented in this paper. The method used for the thermal analysis is described in detail, along with the simulation of the different actions. The thermal state of the dam is affected not only by climatic actions but also by concrete

The rock type plays a key role in the way in which the outermost layer of the cement interacts with the formation, in wells under geothermal environments. The penetration of cement into the rock is controlled by the porosity of the rock which also regulates the amount of CO2 enriched brine that can contact the cement.Samples were prepared by drilling holes into rock blocks, pouring in a cement slurry and hydrothermally treating the whole assembly at 150 °C under typical geothermal environments. The changes in the interfacialtransition zone (ITZ) that forms between geothermal cements and volcanic rocks were examined.Both porosity and the volcanic glass content of the rock have a considerable impact on the way in which thecement and the formation interact and, ultimately, affect the bond between these materials. The porosity has a major influence on the durability of the cement in carbonated brine.

The current practice in the structural safety control of concrete dams, describing the significant contribution of monitoring activities. Based on historical accident cases and on the Portuguese experience, important information regarding the value of monitoring activities for the assessment of the safety condition and functionality of concrete dams will be provided.

O método dos elementos discretos (MED), desenvolvido inicialmente para a modelação do comportamento de materiais granulares, tem vindo a ser utilizado para a simulação do comportamento de materiais coesivos, designadamente a rocha e o betão. Os modelos de contacto usualmente adotados representam somente o comportamento instantâneo do material. De modo a ser possível modelar o comportamento do betão ao longo do tempo, desenvolveu-se um modelo de contacto com viscosidade e endurecimento, baseado na teoria da solidificação. Dadas as limitações do passo de cálculo no MED, desenvolveu-se um esquema numérico em que o tempo de maturação do material e o passo de cálculo são considerados de forma independente. Para cada idade de carregamento e para uma determinada discretização do tempo sob carga, as forças de contacto viscoelásticas são calculadas de acordo com o modelo viscoelástico com endurecimento em função do tempo de maturação, posteriormente a solução equilibrada é obtida através do método de relaxação dinâmica.Nesta comunicação apresenta-se uma metodologia de calibração dos parâmetros de modelos de contacto relativos ao comportamento viscoelástico com endurecimento para a modelação de materiais cimentícios, com base em resultados de ensaios realizados a várias idades. A metodologia de calibração tem em consideração a idade do betão, o tempo sob carga, as extensões instantâneas e diferidas, os parâmetros do modelo de contacto viscoelástico, a máxima dimensão da partícula e a aleatoriedade associada à assembleia de partículas.

Esta comunicação apresenta uma metodologia para a previsão da deformabilidade diferida do betão integral de barragens a partir dos resultados de ensaios do betão crivado utilizando modelos compósitos de duas fases.O betão aplicado em grandes barragens, designado por betão integral, é produzido com agregados de grandes dimensões. Devido às dificuldades de ensaio deste tipo de betão, é comum ensaiar-se o betão crivado em fresco através por um peneiro com uma determinada abertura (usualmente, de 38 mm). Este betão crivado é utilizado para o controlo de qualidade do betão aplicado em obra e para o envolvimento dos grupos de extensómetros de resistência elétrica. Dadas as suas diferentes características, principalmente nas dosagens de agregado grosso, as propriedades destes dois tipos de betão são distintas.Propõe-se a utilização de um modelo compósito equivalente para a previsão da função de fluência do betão integral. Nos modelos compósitos o betão é simulado por duas fases, as inclusões (agregados) e a matriz ligante (pasta de cimento ou argamassa). No modelo compósito proposto, considera-se o betão integral o conjunto constituído pelo agregado grosso retirado durante a crivagem (inclusões) e pelo betão crivado (matriz ligante). Os resultados mostram que este tipo de modelos pode ser utilizado para a determinação da deformabilidade do betão integral de barragens, após a calibração dos parâmetros do modelo através de ensaios.

Scientific and technological advances in monitoring systems allow for the automation of the measurement, transmission and data processing, as happens in the Portuguese dams with automated monitoring systems. However, as measuring has become increasingly easy, the increase in the amount of data available is significant, as well as the number of potential errors associated with the measuring process. The assessment of stored measurements is important because they are one of the main elements used in the activities related to the interpretation and safety control of concrete dams. A detailed assessment of measurements should be performed, for example, through the comparison of the Automated Data Acquisition System (ADAS) measurements, x_ADAS, and other values that may be used as a reference, such as Manual Data Acquisition System (MDAS) measurements, x_MDAS. In most situations, it is possible to perform both ADAS and MDAS measurements. In the case of MDAS measurements, the instruments used in concrete dam monitoring follow relatively simple physical principles and there is a lot of experience acquired over the years. This allows us to consider that the MDAS measurements are of good quality, which makes them a good reference element for the analysis of ADAS measurements. The main idea of the methodology proposed is to assess if ADAS and MDAS measurements from paired samples (x_ADAS,x_MDAS) represent the same population. For each pair of measurements (x_ADAS,x_MDAS), very close values are expected. Probability density function (PDF) may be used to characterise the measurement distribution of each sample. In the case of paired ADAS and MDAS measurements, two similar probability density functions (not necessarily identical due to random effects) are expected, that is PDF(x_ADAS)

Structural material characterization through testing is a common practice in structures such as large-span bridges, nuclear power stations, tall buildings and large dams, where the installed strains and stress take significant values. The collected data of composition and deformability test results of the concrete of several Portuguese dams, built since 1951, properly treated, allowed the establishment of correlations between the composition and the deformability properties of the full-mixed and the wet-screened concrete used in dam construction. Taking into account the laboratory and in situ testing, correlations between some composition elements and the experimental test results and between creep coefficients of wet-screened and full-mixed concrete were obtained.

This paper illustrates importance of the cooperation, between the Concrete Dams Department and the Applied Metrology Division, in the scope of the activity of the Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC) for industry

Many countries have enacted dam safety laws at the national level and have beenapplying them to dam safety management activities. In Brazil, the first Dam SafetyRegulation was published in 2010. The National Dam Safety Information System(SNISB, by its Portuguese acronym) is an instrument of the Brazilian National DamSafety Policy (PNSB), which was established by the Federal Law nº 12.334/2010. TheSNISB consists of a system for collecting, processing, storing and recovering informationrelated to dams under construction, in operation and decommissioned. The main purposeof SNISB is to inform about the safety conditions of regulated dams across the countryand to allow the follow-up of the advances in the implementation of the PNSB. Its basicprinciples are the decentralization of data and information production and input; unifiedcoordination of the system and access to information guaranteed to whole society.The main features of SNISB include the support for implementing the PNSB; theinteraction with existing systems at ANA; the exchange of information with dam owners;the follow up activities from regulators and the support for the production of the annualDam Safety Report.The responsibility for keeping the information available in SNISB system belongs to theregulating entities, either federal or state, which are responsible for ensuring that damowners comply with the dam safety regulations. Dam owners will be the main source ofinformation to the system. Besides being a federal regulating agency, the National WaterAgency (ANA) is also the system manager.

This paper reports a case study of the thermal analysis of a concrete damduring its construction phase. The thermo-chemical problem is solved using a heattransfer model. In the absence of specific adiabatic calorimetric tests of the concrete, anexponential function was calibrated by the best fitting of estimated heat of hydration atthe ages of 3, 7 and 28 days. The predicted temperatures obtained from the code arecompared with the actual temperatures measured in situ by the monitoring systeminstalled in the dam.

Dams have contributed to the human development and have brought manybenefits, such as delivering hydropower, irrigating agricultural fields, supplyingdrinking water, or just for navigational and recreational purposes. Nevertheless, damsare critical structures that raise multiple concerns and risks associated with theecological, social and economic impact. Angola has a rich and complex network of waterbasins and dams that serves different strategic purposes as defined in its water resourcemanagement policy and respective strategic plan that, namely, considers relevant tobuild new dams and to better operate the existent ones. In fact, some of the mostimportant dams in Angola are equipped with safety management information devices thatperform data collection and storage for infrastructural analysis and reporting. However,many of these systems are currently in a critical condition. The civil war of 1975-2002took a toll on dam safety measures and systems and most of them are outdated ormalfunctioning. The dams that are presently under construction, like Matala, willalready be equipped with safety management devices that are able to performmeasurement of variables such as displacement and discharges, among others. Yet, newand adequate legislation must be created for all these efforts to effectively take place: theNational Dam Safety Plan may provide the answer and framework to this state of affairs.Additionally, in this paper we assert that a more complex and integrated system can helpto achieve this plan. Hence, the main contribution of this paper is the proposal of thegestBarragens-2, a next-generation Dam Safety Management System (DSMS),particularly fitting for the geographic and political context of Angola. This DSMS highlevelarchitecture reflects our experience with the design, development and operation ofa former DSMS in Portugal over this last decade, but also the state of art analysis andour own learning process, introspection and criticism. The gestBarragens-2architectural view defines the complex integration of several subsystems in twocomplementary dimensions: the applicational and the technological. The applicationalsubsystems are mainly functional, while the technological subsystems provide crosscuttingfeatures that are widely used in the DSMS as a whole.

Apresentam-se os aspetos relevantes da análise e interpretação do comportamento observado da barragem de Rebordelo, no rio Rabaçal, em Trás-os-Montes, durante o primeiro enchimento controlado da albufeira, ocorrido no início de 2005, e nos primeiros anos de exploração, com base na observação das ações e das respostas, bem como na utilização de modelos matemáticos para resolução dos problemas térmico e estrutural.Nas análises térmica e estrutural consideraram-se: i) um modelo tridimensional da barragem e do maciço rochoso de fundação, resolvido pelo método dos elementos finitos; ii) o comportamento viscoelástico do betão; e iii) a variação das ações da água sobre o paramento de montante e das ações térmicas no corpo da barragem.As grandezas observadas e os resultados numéricos apresentaram uma boa concordância, atestando a adequabilidade dos modelos de comportamento utilizados e o bom desempenho da obra.

Nowadays, organizations are embracing digital transformation, investingin the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) toolsand solutions. Advanced ICT technologies converge with operations technologies(OT), allowing machines, processes, employees, and products to be part ofa single data framework, from data collection to analysis, interpretation, and assessment,which are the foundation for informed decision-making. Industry 4.0takes advantage of emergent ICT to make the right decisions, at the right time,optimizing processes, minimizing risks and improving value chains. The mainaim of the structural safety assessment and control of critical infrastructures, suchas dams and bridges, is to protect people, property and the environment fromharmful effects of failure or misoperation of infrastructures. This goal is achievedthrough Structural Health Monitoring and Control (SHMC) activities to monitorand track the life-cycle of critical infrastructures in such a way that it can providesufficient information for long- and short-term decisions regarding structuralsafety assessment. The objective of this work is to present a reflection of the impactof the industry 4.0 trends on the structural safety assessment of critical infrastructuresand, more specifically, to understand the level of maturity and toshow how the leveraging of enabling technologies such as augmented reality,Internet of Things (IoT), additive manufacturing, cloud computing, big data andanalytics are impacting the SHMC activities on critical infrastructures, which aretraditional cyber-physical systems with complex sensor networks used to assessand control structural safety and health.

As atividades de controlo de segurança de barragens de betão têm um caráter preventivo, com o intuito de facilitar a tomada de decisões de forma atempada para evitar ou minimizar as consequências resultantes de um acidente ou incidente de uma barragem. No controlo de segurança de barragens com sistemas de monitorização automática, a análise de uma grande quantidade de dados ainda pode tornar-se uma tarefa difícil. Por um lado, pretende-se garantir o controlo de segurança, em tempo real, mas, por outro lado, a capacidade humana de processar a informação de dados é limitado. No entanto, os desenvolvimentos tecnológicos em termos de capacidade de processamento de informação têm permitido o desenvolvimento de ferramentas para a análise de grandes quantidades de dados. A necessidade de rever os procedimentos de análise de dados adequados para a extração de informação tornou-se um aspeto importante para a tomada de decisão em tempo útil. Por estas razões, é fundamental proporcionar às entidades responsáveis pela segurança das barragens um sistema de apoio à gestão da informação que facilite o acesso aos dados, a interpretação da informação e a tomada de decisão, de forma atempada. Neste contexto, o principal objetivo desta dissertação é a definição de metodologias para: i) melhorar a qualidade das grandezas medidas pelo sistema recolha automática de dados, através da implementação de procedimentos para o controlo da sua qualidade e para a validação dos resultados, tendo em conta a incerteza de medição dos sistemas de medição; ii) melhorar os procedimentos relacionadas com a análise de dados e a sua interpretação, através de uma abordagem baseada nos dados da observação, a fim de apoiar a decisão de quais as grandezas que devem ser incluídas na sistemas de recolha automática de dados, quantificar o efeito da onda térmica diária na resposta da estrutura e reconhecer padrões de comportamento da barragem; iii) a definição de avisos relacionados com a identificação de comportamento anómalo, e de potenciais cenários de rotura. A aplicação das metodologias propostas num sistema de apoio à gestão da informação será um passo sólido para a melhoria dos processos de controlo de segurança em tempo real.

Apresenta-se um estudo sobre o comportamento de fundações de barragens de betão na fase de exploração normal das obras desenvolvido com o objectivo de validar e fundamentar a aplicação de modelos numéricos de análise do comportamento hidromecânico de maciços rochosos, tendo em vista generalizar a sua utilização e tornar mais eficaz a observação e controlo de segurança destas obras. Foi estudada a representação em modelos numéricos da cortina de impermeabilização e do sistema de drenagem e das condições geológico-geotécnicas concretas das zonas de fundação analisadas, tendo em conta, nomeadamente, os problemas computacionais associados a modelos tridimensionais. Foram realizados ensaios de afluência de água em duas grandes barragens portuguesas, uma gravidade e uma abóbada, que se verificou serem fundamentais para caracterizar o escoamento no maciço, complementando a informação obtida com o sistema de observação. Desenvolveram-se modelos hidráulicos e hidromecânicos do comportamento das fundações destas barragens, que no caso da barragem gravidade foram utilizados no estudo de cenários de rotura. Apresentam-se conclusões sobre a adequação e limitação dos modelos numéricos utilizados, sobre os parâmetros essenciais para calibrar e aplicar esses modelos, e propõem-se métodos de planeamento e utilização dos sistemas de observação de fundações de barragens, de modo a melhorar o controlo de segurança.

O presente trabalho pretende contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento dos modelospara análise do comportamento de barragens de betão ao longo do tempo, submetidasa processos expansivos devidos a reacções químicas de origem interna. Odesenvolvimento destas reacções expansivas, determinado pela composição do betãoe influenciado pelos campos térmico, higrométrico e de tensões, pode provocarfissuração e contribuir para a deterioração precoce das obras.O trabalho aborda, na parte inicial, a fenomenologia dos processos expansivos,salientando-se os factores de natureza física e química que mais os influenciam. Deseguida apresentam-se os aspectos relacionados com a identificação e acaracterização das reacções expansivas, no que respeita às evidências físicas e aosseus efeitos estruturais. Analisam-se, entre outras obras, as barragens portuguesasafectadas por esta patologia.A influência dos factores que regulam o desenvolvimento do processoexpansivo (composição do betão, temperatura, humidade e estado de tensão) équantificada com base num modelo de interacção químico-mecânico, permitindo umaestimativa das expansões à escala das obras de engenharia. Este modelo foiintegrado num código computacional de elementos finitos que considera ocomportamento diferido do betão, através de um modelo viscoelástico com maturação,e o surgimento e propagação da fendilhação, por meio de uma formulação de dano.Utiliza-se uma técnica incremental na discretização das acções que permite simular aevolução do comportamento ao longo do tempo, tendo em conta os fenómenosdiferidos e o progressivo desenvolvimento da fissuração.Apresentam-se dois estudos de aplicação a barragens portuguesas afectadaspor processos expansivos. O primeiro estudo refere-se à barragem de Santa Luzia,uma abóbada construída entre 1939 e 1943, em que a magnitude das expansões émoderada. O segundo estudo reporta-se à barragem de Pracana, uma obra decontrafortes cuja albufeira foi mantida vazia durante mais de uma década após trintaanos de exploração, devido à fendilhação generalizada da sua estrutura provocada porgrandes expansões diferenciais, que depois foi reabilitada, encontrando-se desdeentão em exploração normal há cerca de quinze anos. Os resultados destes estudosdemonstram o interesse e as potencialidades das metodologias desenvolvidas naquantificação do processo expansivo, na interpretação do comportamento observado ena avaliação das condições de segurança das obras.

This work deals with the estimation of the parameters of mixtures of beta variables. The work is organized in four main sections preceded by an introduction and succeeded by conclusions. The second section summarizes the properties of the beta distribution and describes two methods to estimate its parameters from observed samples, the method of moments and the maximum likelihood method. The third section presents the general concept of a mixture of random variables, presents the likelihood function of a sample of a beta mixture, finally, describes the EMA