Bluestone Dam Test Program
- Location: Hinton, WV
- Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District
- Technique(s) Utilized: High-Capacity Dam Anchors
Background
As part of an anchor test program, Nicholson installed and tested four, 61-strand anchors, ranging in length from 175 feet to 245 feet. The anchors have a design load of 2,145 kips and were tested to 2,860 kips. At the time, these were the largest anchors installed in the United States. Nicholson also installed nine, 18-strand anchors ranging in length from 50 feet to 189 feet.
The project consisted of several phases including a parametric study and validation of the numerical model to estimate uplift pressure distributions, development and completion of a subsurface exploration and lab testing program, and final modeling and optimization of the remediation plan. Key aspects of the subsurface exploration program included floating plan, drilling upstream and in the stilling basin of the dam, land based angle drilling, limited space angle drilling, and specially developed packer and dye tests from within the dam gallery. Specialized rock tests included measurement of load versus joint openings.
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