Álvarez Quiñones, Norma L.

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    Computational mechanics of tainter gates; trunnion friction study
    (2012) Álvarez Quiñones, Norma L.; Riveros, Guillermo; College of Engineering; Acosta, Felipe; Lopez, Ricardo; Department of Civil Engineering
    Tainter gates are a type of floodgate with a radial geometry that is used in dams and canal locks to control the water flow from navigation structures. Throughout the years, these structures have presented operational difficulties and structural problems, frequently attributed to the effect of trunnion friction. In 1995, tainter gate #3 on Folsom Dam, California, failed catastrophically releasing approximately 40,000 cu ft/sec, which caused several flooding problems in the region. The forensic studies described the trunnion friction as the main cause of the failure. This gate was designed in the 1960s, when moment induced by the friction in the trunnion was not considered in the design of the gate; this was a common engineering practice at the time. In 2008, Dr. Gopalarathnam, from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Dr. Riveros, from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center performed a series of experimental tests in a tainter gate located in the Carlyle Lake Dam, IL. The purpose was to measure the strains in the elements while the gate was lifted and lowered and study the effect of moment induced friction in the structure. For this study a 3-D numerical model of the Carlyle Lake Dam tainter gate was created and validated with the experimental data obtained from the tests performed in 2008 using Finite Element Analysis. A series of parametrical analyses were performed including the increment in friction coefficient in the trunnion bearing and a study of unsymmetrical cable pressure. The analytical results obtained from the 3-D numerical model concluded that the strain magnitudes are directly proportional to the friction coefficient in the trunnion and that the moment induced by the friction in the trunnion only affects the structure when it is under operation.