| Resumo: | This paper presents recent results from studies on the dynamic behavior of large concrete dams in normal operational conditions, based on the comparison between experimental results, extracted from continuous dynamic monitoring data, and numerical results from finite element analysis. The case studies are Cabril dam (132 m high), in Portugal, and Cahora Bassa dam (170 m high), in Mozambique, two large arch dams that have been under Seismic and Structural Health Monitoring since 2008 and 2010, respectively. The monitoring data analysis is performed using DamModalID, a program specifically prepared for automatic frequency domain modal identification, while the numerical simulations are carried out utilizing DamDySSA4.0, a 3D finite element program developed for dynamic analysis of concrete dams. The focus in this work is on studying the evolution of the main natural frequencies over time, namely (i) to analyze the influence of the reservoir water level variations on the dynamic properties of the dam-reservoir-foundation system and hence on the frequencies’ values, and (ii) to evaluate the correlation with the deterioration and ageing of dams, ultimately aiming at the detection of eventual structural changes due to concrete damage. Based on the presented results, the relation between the frequencies’ values and the water level variations made it possible to verify that the dynamic response of both dams is clearly influenced by the reservoir level. Furthermore, the comparison between the identified frequencies and the values computed with reference models, considering linear behavior, enabled to conclude that the dynamic behavior of both dams has not changed over the last decade, despite the existing deterioration phenomena, and thus they can continue operating normally.
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