The Second International Symposium on Rockfill Dams Rio de Janeiro 27-28 Oct.

2011

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DESIGN ISSUES AND PERFORMANCE OF MAZAR DAM: A 166m

HIGH CFRD IN A NARROW CANYON (ECUADOR).
Etienne FROSSARD1, Ana Luca MOREIRA-YODA2, Cristian NIETO-GAMBO A3 , Secundo VANEGAS
VALENCIA4
1

, Director Tecnico, TRACTEBEL Engineering-COYNE et BELLIER, 5-Rue du 19 Mars 1962 /

92622-Gennevilliers-FRANCE , etienne.frossard@gdfsuez.com

, Ingeniero Principal, TRACTEBEL Engineering - LEME, Rua Guajajras 43- CEP30.180-909Belo Horizonte-BRASIL, ana.yoda@leme.com.br

3
4

, Ingeniero de Proyecto, TRACTEBEL Engineering-COYNE et BELLIER, cristian.nieto@gdfsuez.com

, Jefe del Proyecto Mazar, CELEC EP HIDROPAUTE, Panamericana Norte Km7, Cuenca - ECUADOR
segundo.vanegas@celec.com.ec

Abstract: Final design of Mazar Dam took place between 2005 and 2007, while some significant incidents
were observed at impounding various large CFRD worldwide, leading the profession to revise the design
methodology of this type of dams . The present paper details the specific difficulties inherent to Mazar dam
site configuration, the methods developped to evaluate their potential consequences, and the practical
remedial measures adopted in the design. The main features adressed are the design measures adopted to
cope with a narrow canyon, and a very steep right abutment.
At the end of construction in 2009, the dam was impounded , and has been working satisfactorily so far.
Key words: Design, performance, steep abutments.

Background

Mazar Dam is part of the Paute-Mazar Hydroelectric Project, which entered in operation in 2010,
and is located in the South East region of Ecuador, 100km from Cuenca City. This new scheme is
the upper step of the Paute River Hydroelectric cascade, owned by Ecuadorian utility
CELEC-HIDROPAUTE, including the existing 1075 MW Paute-Molinos, in operation since 1983
and located just downstream of Paute-Mazar. Although the Paute Mazar installed capacity is only
170 MW, the regulation provided by the size of its reservoir will increase the Paute Molinos annual
generation by about 500 GWh. These two upstream steps of Paute River cascade will be completed
downstream by two other hydroelectric projects in the future: Sopladora, 487 MW, currently under
construction, and Cardenillos, 327 MW, in design phase.
In this eastern part of the Andes Cordillera, the Paute River has deeply incised its valley within
a mass of metamorphic rocks including mainly quartzitic schists with intercalations of chloritic and
sericit schists, which constitutes the foundation and the sources of construction materials for the
dam body.

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1.1 General-Basic features

Together with Mazar dam, the project includes a set of underground works for waterways and
generation works, Figure 1.
The dam is a concrete face rockfill dam 166m high from the toe of concrete face, sloped at
1,4h/1v upstream and 1,5h/1v downstream, with a rockfill volume of 5,35 hm3, and a 340m long
crest, its main section having been detailed in a previous publication [1].The main zones 3B and 3C
of dam body have been built with quartzitic schists with max size 500mm and 800 mm respectively,
cautiously compacted and generously watered under strict quality control during construction [1].

Figure 1. Mazar hydroelectric project general layout

1.2 Specific challenges
The dam site configuration is constrained downstream by an affluent valley on left bank, and
upstream by another one. The main dimensions given above, outline the very narrow proportions of
the dam site, which included a very steep right abutment, with vertical cliffs displaying some
overhangs, Figure 2.

Figure 2. Mazar Dam narrow site configuration, with very steep right abutment.

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This constrained location in a deeply incised valley, very narrow configuration and verticality
of the right abutment raised construction issues, particularly for accesses and earth moving, and
specific design issues [2] associated with the solution of a CFRD in such a site, which had been set
in previous design stages.
2

Design Issues

For a flexible and deformable dam body in such a dam site, associated with a rigid concrete face,
main design issues are aroused by the consequences of unavoidable settlements occuring winthin
the dam body below the concrete face.
2.1 Risks associated with settlements in a narrow canyon
The risks associated with settlement movements within the granular fill and their consequences, may be
usefully schematized as follows [3]. In a typical section, Figure 3-a), the lines of principal stresses
resulting from both impounding and self-weight forces, have the shape of line C-C on the figure.
Under the forces exerted by impounding, the settlements are resulting of small shear movements
distributed within the granular fill mass, triggered by local breakage of stone or blocks. In a right bank
to left bank section, transverse to valley axis and passing through line C-C Figure 3-b)-, the trace of
these small shear movements are distributed within the rockfill mass, with orientations also widely
spread, but with some polarization on two characteristic directions.

Figure 3- Settlements
micromechanisms
within the dam body
and its consequences

Those movements are predominantly clockwise shear on rockfill above left abutment, predominantly
anticlockwise shear on rockfill above right bank, and mixed directions on rockfill in the center of valley.
At vicinity of perimetric joints, at junctions between the plinth and the concrete facing:
-

if the abutment slope is sufficiently smooth Detail A on Figure 3-b)-, the slip lines resulting from
those small shear movement, are intercepted at short distance by the foundation, so the associated
shear cannot extend over a long distance, and the deflection line of the concrete facing near the
perimetric joint, will be regular and progressive;

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if the abutment slope is excessively steep- Detail B on Figure 3-b)-, then the slip lines resulting
from the shear movements are no longer intercepted

at short distance by the foundation,

can

develop over long distance, and then develop a localized shear zone at abutment contact, which
results in a concentrated differential settlement of concrete facing relatively to the plinth, localized
at the perimetric joint, resulting in a step on the deflexion line of the facing , right at the
perimetric joint.
For typical value of

the

physical friction angle between rock pieces in rockfill, the

corresponding critical abutment slope is about 60 to 65 on horizontal (without safety margin). Basic
mitigation measures on steep abutments, can be either to provide a smoother slope by excavations, or to
build a zone of low compressibility fill at contact with steep abutment.

Another risk is associated with the consequences of these settlements in dam body in the center
of the valley, under the concrete facing. These consequences are the horizontal contraction strains,
resulting from wedging of dam body between the abutments during impounding. Horizontal
compression strains are then induced in facing, which may reach failure in its central part, as in cases
recently reported in Brazil, Lesotho, and China.
For steep abutments inducing significant contact shear, the order of magnitude of these strains
in the rockfill, may be evaluated at mid-height (Fig. 4) on the basis of simple kinematics. This leads to
the practical relation of Fig. 4 a), which links this compression strain during impounding to two
adimensional factors: a dam deformability ratio, and a valley shape ratio.

Figure 4 Horizontal contraction strains

induced in the center of concrete facing
at impounding, and its consequences:
concepts and rationales.

For given geometric site conditions and dam height, this simple relation sets the rockfill rigidity
modulus magnitude required in order to keep these strains within acceptable limits; reversely, for given
geometric site proportions and given rockfill rigidity modulus, this relation sets the maximum height
allowable. Knowing that reinforced concrete threshold for damages under compression strains is about

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0,2%, this simple formula leads also to a diagram of risks for concrete facing failure by horizontal
compressions (Fig. 4b). Damaged and undamaged dams recently commissioned do locate quite well in
this diagram.
The specific conditions for Mazar dam, also displayed in the diagram, showed that, for usual range
of rigidity modulus at end of construction, between 40 and 80 MPa, significant risks of failure in the
facing by horizontal compressions were to be considered.

2.2 Detailed 3D numerical analysis of dam behavior

A detailed numerical analysis by non-linear finite elements model was then developed, in order to
sustend these design issues, and first of all, the question of reshaping the upper part of right bank
abutment with excavations, although limited by the presence of the spillway (see figure 2).
The Figure 5 displays the concentrations of shear strains at contact between the dam and the right
abutment (foundation removed, upstream face on left), construction settlements on pictures at left,
impounding ones at right, original foundation surface at top, reshaped one at bottom. The reshaped
foundation shape, designed according to the concept of Figure 3, permitting to avoid shear
concentrations just below the concrete facing (compare upper and lower pictures).

Figure 5. Expected shear concentrations at contact with RB foundation: FEM study

.
2.3 Specific measures implemented
The right abutment reshaping adopted by this way consisted in smoothing the rock slope by
excavations, to 2h /3v over the first 50 m in height under the concrete facing, in order to provide

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better contact conditions for the rockfill on this right abutment just below the facing, and reduce
strongly the intensity of differential movements to be anticipated between the plinth and the facing.
As previously outlined, the presence of the spillway on this right bank was a heavy
limitation for this reshaping (see Figure 2), so significant residual movements were to be
anticipated at perimetral joint. In order to withstand these differential movements and secure
the watertightness, specific perimetral joint features were then designed, on the basis of
Chinese practices, Figure 6.

Figure 6. Specific perimetral joint features for RB: principles and practical implementation.
These features having been adopted to provide mitigations measures as regards
differential settlement effects on right bank, the question of horizontal contraction strains and
risks of failure in the central part of concrete facing was addressed through the same 3D
numerical analysis. A map of computed horizontal contraction strains to be expected under the
facing was prepared on the basis of the numerical analysis. Over the whole area where more
than 0,2% of contraction (onset of damages in concrete under unconfined compression ) was to
be expected, then the following specific measures were adopted, Figure 7:
-

reducing the slab width by a factor 2 (7,5m width slabs instead of 15m);
provide vertical compression joints between these narrow slabs in order to absorb the
compression movements, these compression joints were designed with 3,2 cm width voids,
filled with a compressible special wood (copal), able to accept more than 50%

compression strain, with a compression stress well below the concrete strength;
extend these compression joints within the concrete curb under the facing by sawing the
curb before concreting the face slabs, in order to avoid curb buckling below the facing.

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Figure 7-Horizontal contraction strains expected under the facing at impounding-Adaptations

of joint spacing within the facing, and provision of specific features on RB side.
Between this zone and the right bank plinth, as the 3D numerical model displayed heavy
strain gradients, a reinforced border slab was included in the design, to provide some bridging
capacity in case of heterogeneous movements in this area. The Figure 8 displays the nearly
finished concrete facing.

Figure 8 Finition works on slab joints on RB side

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Performance

3.1 General dam behaviour at impounding

The dam has been impounded in the fall of 2009, Figure 9.
A method of inverse numerical analysis [5] has been used to assess the rigidity modulus finally
achieved within the dam, on the basis of observed settlements. The values found are about 50 MPa
for 3B and 3C zones, in spite of the cautious placement and compaction procedures, which were
implemented targeting a more rigid compacted rockfill.
Nevertheless, no significant cracking has been observed so far on the facing, except capillary
horizontal fine cracks in the upper part.

Figure 9 . Commissioned Mazar Dam and reservoir

3.2 Performance of specific measures implemented

Although significant differential settlement were observed on the right bank side , about 10 cm
over the upper 90 m of the dam, up to 11 cm at crest, the specific features implemented on the RB
perimetric joint appear to have worked adequately.
The absence so far of vertical cracking by compression which has occurred in the past in various
CFRD, [6], outline that the features implemented to release these compressions appear also to have
worked properly.

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Conclusions

After a period of design based on empirism of past examples, leading to some incidents, the design
of CFRD is heading at a more rational approach. In the case of Mazar Dam, it is thought that the
use of detailed 3D numerical modelling with non linear constitutive model for rockfill has brought
a real design tool. However, in the opinion of the authors, progression is still needed in mastering
the mechanical behavior of rockfill, and specially the mechanical behavior of the large size
rockfills used currently in rockfill dams, marked by significant size effects [7].
Acknowledgements
CELEC-HIDROPAUTE is gratefully acknowledged for the permission to publish the present paper.

References
[1] C.A. Ramrez Orejuela, Mazar Dam: a 166m high CFRD in an assymetric canyon Ecuador ,
Proceedings of III Symposium on CFRD Dams Honoring J.Barry Cooke- CBDB-ICOLD
Florianopolis, Brazil, Oct 2007.
[2] Consorcio Gerencia Mazar, Memorias de Clculo e Informes de Diseo del Proyecto MazarHidropaute, 2005-2006
[3] E. Frossard, On the structural safety of large rockfill dams . Transactions of XXIII International
Congress on Large Dams, Q.91

R.39, Brasilia, May 2009

[4] Consorcio Gerencia Mazar Analisis del Comportamiento 3D de la presa Incidencias sobre el
Diseo Ejecutivo Hidropaute Julio 2006
[5]

C.Nieto-Gamboa, Mechanical behaviour of Rockfill Applications to Rockfill DamsPhD - Thesis Ecole Centrale Paris March 2011-

[6]

N.L. Pinto, Very high CFRD Dams-Behaviour and design features, Proceedings of III Symposium
on CFRD Dams Honoring J.Barry Cooke- CBDB-ICOLD Florianopolis, Brazil, Oct 2007.

[7]

E.Frossard, W.Hu, C.Dano, P.Y. Hicher - Rockfill shear strength evaluation: a rational method
based on size effects Gotechnique 62, N5, 415-427, London, May 2012.

Note: More elements may be found in detailed conferences performed later

E.Frossard- El diseo de la presa Mazar y su comportamiento a la puesta en servicio Invited
Conference-Seminario International Experiencias en Construccin de Proyectos HidroelectricosCELEC-Cuenca (Ecuador) Oct 2012
E.Frossard, C. Nieto Conception du barrage de Mazar-Comportement en service Symposium
Technique du 31 Jan 2013- Grenoble (France), Comite Franais des Barrages et Reservoirs.