Calibrated Dynamic Response Analysis of Stafford Dam

Stafford Dam, an approximately 79-ft high compacted earthfill founded on stream alluvium approximately 40 feet thick, was shaken by the 1989 Lorna Prieta Earthquake. Records of the earthquake motions were obtained from seismographs located at the dam crest and at the right abutment on rock. Two-dimensional dynamic finite element analyses were performed to calibrate a model of the dam using the recorded motions. Excellent agreement between the recorded and calculated response was obtained by appropriate adjustments to material parameters based on shear wave velocity measurements. Various deconvolution methods for obtaining input bedrock motions to calculate the dam response are discussed