Geophysical survey of earthen dam using the electrical prospecting methods

Abstract

The hydraulic structures for the land reclamation needs and their operation are the objects of careful attention. The water-bearing earth dams of small height pose an extra danger, where the accident occurs the most often. Such facilities should be constantly monitored to prevent the dangerous incidents. The article discusses an alternative method for studying the filtration properties of earth dams by the electrical parameters – resistivity, induced polarization and self-potential. The relative polarizability was used to exclude the influence of electrical resistivity to the induced polarization data. A study of advanced technology to identify the filter zones was carried out on an earthen dam in the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. The measurement data for three profiles are presented as the sections form in the parameters of resistivity and relative polarizability. Their complex interpretation with the respect of self-potential data, is given as a diagram of probable filtration paths. This is possibly due to the local increased watering in the dam loamy body. Then, the electric and self-potential parameters were evaluated to determine the filtering zones. The study results of above parameters have identified several water-saturated zones in the dam body. This technology could be used to estimate the condition of such objects and their engineering-geological monitoring.

Study of changes in the induced wave field in mining waste storage facilities

“…Throughout the entire profile, at a depth of 2 meters, the boundary of compacted soils, which are moraine deposits, is clearly identified (6). At the profile interval of 260-880 meters, an area with a typical type of recording of layered technogenic soils is identified (5).…”

“…Conductive zones associated with enhanced water filtration through geophysical monitoring of the reservoir's soil dam were discovered, and the feasibility of conducting seasonal geophysical monitoring for a more reliable assessment of the condition of soil hydraulic structures was noted [4]. An analysis of the information content of geophysical methods in studying the structure of dams was carried out with the rationale for the optimal complex for diagnosing and predicting the technical condition of earthen dams in the Republic of Kazakhstan [5,6]. It is worth noting the use of electrical resistivity and ground penetrating radar methods at the Tapira mining complex in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where they were used to determine the groundwater level, identify local zones of water saturation, and show the effectiveness of this type of monitoring for soil dams [7].…”

The earth-fill dam state express investigation using mechanical vibrations produced by HPP

“…Surface erosion may lead to loss of dam stability. In general, dams are systematically surveyed on the basis of geodetic, geotechnical and seismic methods, for example [9][10][11][12][13]. Some authors use GNSS techniques [14,15], interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) methods [16][17][18][19], spirit leveling [20,21] and motorized control total stations systems [9,22].…”