Established in 1958, the Department mainly engaged in the research of structural and material issues related to the research, consultancy, inspection, and rehabilitation of hydraulic structures. The Department has provided services or consultancies for more than 100 large-scale hydro projects including the Three Gorges Project, the Xiaolangdi Project, etc. It has also won about 40 national or provincial prizes for progress in science and
technology and a dozen of patents.

Consisting of 4 research sections, the Department has a staff of 46, including 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 11 professor-level senior engineers, and 18 senior engineers. Of the employees, 10 have doctoral degree, 16 master degree.

Section of Digital Visual Simulation

● Mass concrete temperature stress simulation and temperature control measures
● Visual simulation analysis of large and complicated structures
● Visual simulation technology of dam construction process
● Modern structural analysis methods and engineering applications
● 3D digital visual design methods and software development

Section of Dam Engineering Technology

● Arch dam optimum design technology
● Non-linear analysis methods of dam deformation and stress
● Load bearing capacity analysis, safety assessment, and strengthening technology of dangerous dams
● Interaction among concrete dam, adjacent structures and foundation
● Failure process simulation of concrete dam and rock foundation

Section of Safety Monitoring and Testing

● Dam safety monitoring and automatic management technology
● Dam safety monitoring information analysis and safety assessment
● Research and development of dam safety monitoring information management and analysis system
● Informationized safety control technology of hydraulic structure engineering
● Defect detection and safety assessment of hydraulic structures

Section of Rock Mass and Underground Structure

● Fractured rock seepage theory and large underground structure analysis
● Impacts of fractured rock seepage upon hydraulic structures
● 3D modeling and block group cutting technology of rock mass in complicated geological conditions
● 3D block theories and stability analysis of rock engineering
● Coupled models of micro and meso interstitial structure of concrete materials and its macro performance