Schnabel Launches Innovative Performance-Based Evaluation Technologies

Schnabel Engineering is proud to announce the launch of its innovative Performance-Based Evaluation (PBE) technologies – transforming how dam owners, regulators, and engineers assess the structural integrity and performance of concrete structures.

These cutting-edge services provide real physical data using non-destructive techniques, enabling more accurate validation of numerical models and informed decision-making for major infrastructure projects.

PBE leverages advanced monitoring and testing methods to measure actual dam behavior under operational conditions. By applying both flow-induced monitoring (FIM) and cold gas thruster (CGT) impulse tests (pictured), Schnabel captures high-quality dynamic data that is utilized to validate numerical models, identify key system characteristics, and accurately estimate installed post-tensioned anchor loads. This approach ensures owners have clear, data-driven insights when planning rehabilitation or safety improvements.

Key Benefits

• Enhanced accuracy: Validates numerical studies with real-world data
• Cost savings: Can reduce rehabilitation costs by tens to hundreds of millions of dollars
• Non-destructive and repeatable: Tests can be performed during normal operations without disruption or damage to the structure.
• In situ assessment of post-tensioned anchors
• Broad applications: PBE of dams and their appurtenant structures that include measured dynamic characteristics and interactions that influence performance during extreme events

PBE has already been implemented on numerous projects across North America, including Shaver Lake Dam, Bluestone Dam, Oroville Flood Control Outlet, and Pardee Dam Spillway.

Leading organizations, such as USACE, Southern California Edison, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), and California Department of Water Resources, have used PBE to enhance their understanding of the condition of their assets and inform decisions about dam safety investments.