Stress–Strain Field in an Innovative Metallic Dam Gate Used to Control the Water Flow

The paper aims to determine the stress and strain field in metallic dam gates to identify an optimal constructive solution for their design, from the point of view of strength in service. The study is of a dam with a central, oscillating pivot, which has the role of closing the gates when the downstream water level becomes too high and can thus flood the upstream portion of the river. It starts from a constructive solution initially proposed by the designers, which is then modified in several steps, until a better solution is reached in terms of strength to mechanical stress. This solution is obtained after analyzing several structural scenarios. The final results ensure an excellent behavior of the mechanical stresses, and represent a constructive solution that is easy to achieve and is economically convenient.