Scrivener Dam is a critical piece of Canberra鈥檚 infrastructure, maintaining water levels of the iconic Lake Burley Griffin. Like all dams in Australia, it requires regular maintenance and assessment to ensure ongoing safe operation.聽A recent inspection identified potential for undesirable uplift forces under the stilling basin slab, triggering a more detailed assessment of dam stability.聽
国产精品 Sydney鈥檚 Water Research Laboratory was commissioned by the聽聽to construct and test a 1:40 scale physical model of the dam in WRL鈥檚 hydraulics laboratory at Manly Vale.
Despite advances in numerical (computer) modelling, physical modelling remains the most trusted method for determining complex hydraulic behaviours found in dams, particularly in the energy dissipation basins. Modelling provides critical data on flow behaviours, pressures and forces that impact the dam structure, and allows engineers to design the structure appropriately.
Dam models generally need to be constructed at large scales to minimise scale effects.聽WRL鈥檚 purpose built hydraulic facilities were ideal for the model which measured 25 x 9 m.聽Large pumps precisely delivered over 1,000 L/s to the model.聽While the model is large, it also needed to be constructed to a high level of accuracy, with WRL鈥檚 specialist engineers and craftsmen ensuring an accuracy of <1 mm across the dam structure.
The results of the physical model testing will be used to form part of the overall risk assessment for the dam; ensuring the ongoing safe operation of Scrivener Dam into the future.
