Seismic Analyses of Menta Embankment Dam: Formulation and Synthesis of Results

Abstract

Menta Embankment Dam has been selected as Theme B of the International Benchmark Workshop of the International Committee on Large Dams held in Milan in September 2019. The static and seismic behaviour of the dam under seismic input has been evaluated by 13 groups of Contributors coming all around the world. The Menta Dam is a rockfill dam with upstream bituminous facing located in the South of Italy. The major challenge faced by the Contributors was the simulation of the complex dynamic behaviour of rockfill material in order to predict the stress-strain behaviour of the embankment under seismic conditions. Despite the different modeling assumptions proposed by the Contributors, the numerical analyses showed a satisfactorily dynamic performance of the embankment under the proposed seismic input.