The high dam is an important strategic infrastructure that supports the efficient development of hydropower and the comprehensive utilization of water resources. It continuously and stably provides energy supply and flood control guarantees for economic and social development, generating huge social and economic benefits. There are numerous high dam hubs in the southwest region, including several large and super-large high dam hubs such as the Baihetan, Xiluodu, Jinping First-stage, and Dagangshan. Large unit power generation, large flow flood discharge, and high-speed water flow energy dissipation have become the norm, and the destruction of flood discharge and energy dissipation buildings has become a common key threat to dam safety in high dam hub projects. Regular inspection of the overflow surface damage of flood discharge and energy dissipation structures during the operation period of hydropower hubs has become an important means to grasp their working performance and evaluate the safety status of the structure. With the innovation and development of equipment technology and information technology, relying on underwater robots to carry out intelligent damage detection of hydraulic structures in high dam hubs has become a trend. However, due to the complex and harsh detection conditions such as sandy water bodies and underwater sediment deposition in southwestern rivers, the coupling mechanism between high-speed water flow and flow surface damage is still unclear, and there is a lack of theoretical and technical methods for damage detection and evaluation. The contradiction between the large inspection scope, low inspection efficiency, and poor environmental adaptability also needs to be solved, and the efficiency of damage perception and identification still needs to be improved. There are still many difficulties in efficient and precise inspection and scientific comprehensive evaluation. In response to the significant demand for structural safety during the operation of flood discharge and energy dissipation buildings in the high dam hub, it is necessary to focus on solving three key scientific problems: 1) Damage formation mechanism and evolution law under the coupling effect of high-speed water flow and flow surface; 2) Adaptive inspection theory and methods suitable for complex environments; 3) Mechanism analysis and data-driven fusion of structural safety risk analysis and evaluation theory. The four important research aspects that need to be paid attention to in proposing the intelligent inspection and safety evaluation theory and method for flood discharge and energy dissipation buildings in high dam hubs are as follows: 1) Evolution mechanism of coupled damage on the flow surface under the action of high-speed water flow; 2) Multi-information cognitive mechanism and adaptive inspection methods in complex environments; 3) Intelligent identification and quantification methods for damage characteristics of flood discharge and energy dissipation structures; 4) Structural security analysis and evaluation system for multiple information fusion. Through in-depth research on the theory and methods of intelligent inspection and safety evaluation, this study reveals the formation mechanism and evolution law of damage to the overflow surface of flood discharge and energy dissipation buildings in the southwest mountainous and canyon areas. It breaks through the autonomous intelligent inspection method of flood discharge outlets and water cushion pond structures with strong adaptability in complex environments, develops key technologies for intelligent classification and quantification of damage based on multi-dimensional perception information, and constructs a structural safety analysis and evaluation model that integrates multiple data of "inspection monitoring simulation". Taking the Dagangshan Hydropower Station on the Dadu River as a typical case, the application verification of intelligent inspection methods and evaluation models was carried out to support the safe operation, maintenance, and intelligent control of key flood discharge and energy dissipation buildings in the Dagangshan Hydropower Station on the Dadu River Basin. The aim is to provide theoretical and technical methods for the operation safety, damage prevention, and control of high dams. The research results have significant scientific value and guiding significance in ensuring the safety of power generation in cascade hydropower stations and improving the refined management level of hydropower operation and maintenance. © 2023 Editorial Department of Journal of Sichuan University. All rights reserved.
