Based on the achievements in the planning, design, construction and operational management of the Xiaolangdi Water Control Project on the Yellow River, the NHRI team has summarized the findings, thus enriching the key technology in taming high-concentrated rivers. A similarity relationship for high-concentrated flow model was developed, by using which a 1:80 scale physical model was constructed to study the sediment problems in different periods for the Xiaolangdi Water Control Project, especially the problems concerning high concentration flow and deposition and blockage in discharge structures. The sediment design theory for water control projects was applied in an innovative way to develop a complete set of design technology and methods for hydraulic structures in the flow with high sediment concentration. Gate vibration and hydraulic model tests and cavitation model tests were conducted for various structures in the project. Abrasion-proof silicon concrete was studied, safety monitoring technology for underground hydraulic structures was developed, and engineering quality was analyzed before the impoundment of the reservoir, and finally the assessment process, assessment criterion and classification standards for dam safety monitoring automation system were put forward.
The Xiaolangdi project, large in scale, complicated in geological conditions, unparallel in water and sediment conditions, and strict in operational requirement, is one of the greatest challenges in dam construction in the world. The success of the project reflects the wisdom and efforts of generations of river engineers in China.