Dam safety requirements have become stronger in recent years, highlighting, among other issues, the need to increase the discharge capacity of existing spillways and the protection of embankment dams against potential overtopping, which are particularly threatened by the hydrological consequences of climate change. The current economic situation requires solutions that ensure the safety of these infrastructures at an affordable cost. Wedge-shaped blocks (WSBs) are one of these solutions. A more detailed understanding of the performance of WSBs was the objective of this work and, based on this, the evolution of WSB design. An extensive empirical test program was performed, registering hydrodynamic pressures on the block faces and leakage through the joints between blocks and their air vents. A new WSB (named ACUÑA) with a different design of air vents was tested in comparison to Armorwedge™, which was used as a reference case. Moreover, the hydraulic behavior of the WSB was analyzed according to the saturation state of the granular drainage layer. The ACUÑA unit was designed with air vents in the upper part of the riser where the registered negative pressures were higher. Negative pressures were also measured at the base of the block when the granular drainage layer was not fully saturated. Finally, the beneficial effect of sealing some of the joints between blocks was quantified.

中文翻译：

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大坝防溢楔形块体的水动力性能及设计演变

近年来，大坝安全要求变得更加严格，其中突出了增加现有溢洪道的排放能力和保护堤坝免受潜在溢流的需求等问题，这些问题尤其受到气候变化水文后果的威胁。当前的经济形势需要以可承受的成本确保这些基础设施安全的解决方案。楔形块 (WSB) 是这些解决方案之一。这项工作的目标是更详细地了解 WSB 的性能，并在此基础上发展 WSB 设计。执行了广泛的经验测试程序，记录了砌块表面上的流体动压以及通过砌块与其通风口之间的接头泄漏。与用作参考案例的 Armorwedge™ 相比，测试了具有不同通风口设计的新 WSB（名为 ACUÑA）。此外，根据颗粒排水层的饱和状态分析了WSB的水力行为。ACUÑA 装置在立管的上部设计有通风口，此处记录的负压较高。当颗粒排水层未完全饱和时，还在块体底部测量负压。最后，量化了密封块之间的一些接缝的有益效果。ACUÑA 装置在立管的上部设计有通风口，此处记录的负压较高。当颗粒排水层未完全饱和时，还在块体底部测量负压。最后，量化了密封块之间的一些接缝的有益效果。ACUÑA 装置在立管的上部设计有通风口，此处记录的负压较高。当颗粒排水层未完全饱和时，还在块体底部测量负压。最后，量化了密封块之间的一些接缝的有益效果。