Numerical models play an important role in the assessment of dam safety

To ensure the safety of dams under any operational and environmental conditions it is necessary to gain knowledge of behavior of the dam from the design stage on. During design and construction phases models are needed to be set up to account for the safety approach. These models are based on practical experience gained from the performance of existing structures and rely on models we assume for possible failure modes. To set up and apply advanced numerical models and interpret their results a detailed discussion within the engineering community is needed. To show the abilities and the meaningful interpretation of numerical investigations the Technical Committee on Numerical Analysis and Design of Dams within the International Commission On Large Dams (ICOLD) organizes benchmark workshops since 1991. These results are published in proceedings and concluded in ICOLD Bulletins. Numerical models and the interpretation of the gained results are one essential part within this ICOLD network to guarantee the safe operation of dams.