In this paper, the non-linear seismic response of arch dams is presented us
ing the concept of Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM). The analysis is perfor
med using the finite element technique and appropriate non-linear material
and damage models in conjunction with the alpha-algorithm for time marching
. Because of the non-linear nature of the discretizied equations of motion,
modified Newton-Raphson approach has been used at each time step. Damage e
volution based on tensile principal strain using mesh-dependent hardening m
odulus technique is adopted to ensure the mesh objectivity and to calculate
the accumulated damage. The methodology employed is shown to be computatio
nally efficient and consistent in its treatment of both damage growth and d
amage propagation. As an application of the proposed formulation, a double
curvature arch dam has been analysed and the results are compared with the
solutions from linear analysis and it is shown that the structural response
of arch dams varies significantly in terms of damage evolution. Copyright
(C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.