Nepomuceno, Vincent Gabrielle R.

5/18/19
CE 507 Engr. Jerome Z. Tadiosa

1.) What is a dam?

Dams are structures that block the flow of a river, stream, or other waterways.
Some dams divert the flow of river water into a pipeline, canal or channel. Others
raise the level of inland waterways to make them navigable by ships and barges.
Many dams harness energy of falling water to generate power. Dams also hold
water for drinking, crop irrigation and provide flood control.

2.) What are the types of dam?

a.) Gravity Dams - A gravity dam is a massive sized dam fabricated from
concrete or stone masonry. They are designed to hold back large volumes of
water. By using concrete, the weight of the dam can resist the horizontal
thrust of water pushing against it. essentially holds the dam down to the
ground, stopping water from toppling it over. Gravity dams are well suited for
blocking rivers in wide valleys or narrow gorge ways. Since gravity dams must
rely on their own weight to hold back water, it is necessary that they are built
on a solid foundation of bedrock.
b.) Earth Dams: An earth dam is made of earth (or soil) built up by compacting
successive layers of earth, using the most impervious materials to form a core
and placing more permeable substances on the upstream and downstream
sides. A facing of crushed stone prevents erosion by wind or rain, and an
ample spillway, usually of concrete, protects against catastrophic washout
should the water overtop the dam. Earth dam resists the forces exerted upon
it mainly due to shear strength of the soil. Although the weight of the earth
dam also helps in resisting the forces, the structural behavior of an earth dam
is entirely different from that of a gravity dam. The earth dams are usually
built in wide valleys having flat slopes at flanks (abutments). The foundation
 requirements are less stringent than those of gravity dams, and hence they
can be built at the sites where the foundations are less strong. They can be
built on all types of foundations. However, the height of the dam will depend
upon the strength of the foundation material.
c.) Rockfill Dams: A rockfill dam is built of rock fragments and boulders of large
size. An impervious membrane is placed on the rockfill on the upstream side
to reduce the seepage through the dam. The membrane is usually made of
cement concrete or asphaltic concrete. In early rockfill dams, steel and timber
membrane were also used, but now they are obsolete.
d.) Arch Dams: An arch dam is curved in plan, with its convexity towards the
upstream side. An arch dam transfers the water pressure and other forces
mainly to the abutments by arch action. An arch dam is quite suitable for
narrow canyons with strong flanks which are capable of resisting the thrust
produced by the arch action.
e.) Buttress Dams: Buttress dams are of three types : (i) Deck type, (ii) Multiple-
arch type, and (iii) Massive-head type. A deck type buttress dam consists of a
sloping deck supported by buttresses. Buttresses are triangular concrete
walls which transmit the water pressure from the deck slab to the foundation.
Buttresses are compression members. Buttresses are typically spaced across
the dam site every 6 to 30 metre, depending upon the size and design of the
dam. Buttress dams are sometimes called hollow dams because the
buttresses do not form a solid wall stretching across a river valley.The deck is
usually a reinforced concrete slab supported between the buttresses, which
are usually equally spaced.
Based on structure and design, dams can be classified as follows:
 3.) What are the steps in analyzing gravity dams?

The weight of gravity dam will cause a moment opposite to the overturning moment and
the friction on the base will prevent the dam from sliding. The dam may also be
prevented from sliding by keying its base into the bedrock.

Step 1
Consider 1 unit length (1 m length) of dam perpendicular to the cross section.

Step 2
Determine all the forces acting:
1. Vertical forces
 WW = Weight of dam
  FV = Weight of water in the upstream side (if any)
 U = Hydrostatic uplift
 Weight of permanent structures on the dam

2. Horizontal forces

 FH = Horizontal component of total hydrostatic force

 Wind pressure, wave action, floating bodies, earthquake load, etc.

Step 3
Solve for the reaction
1. Horizontal component of the reaction
Rx=ΣFH
2. Vertical component of the reaction
Ry=ΣFV
Step 4
Moment about the toe
1. Righting moment, RM
RM = Sum of all rotation towards the upstream side
2. Overturning moment, OM
OM = Sum of all rotation towards the downstream side

Step 5
Location of Ry as measured from the toe

𝑅𝑀 − 𝑂𝑀
𝑥=
𝑅𝑦

Factors of Safety
Factor of safety against sliding, FSs
µ𝑅𝑦
𝐹𝑆𝑠 = > 1.0
𝑅𝑥
Factor of safety against overturning, FSo
𝑅𝑀
FSo = > 1.0
𝑂𝑀
Where μ = coefficient of friction between the base of the dam and the foundation.

Foundation Pressure
Eccentricity, e
𝐞 = abs(0.5𝐁 − 𝐱)
If e ≤ B/6, Ry is within the middle third and the foundation pressure is trapezoidal acting
from heel to toe. If e is exactly B/6, the shape of foundation pressure is triangular also
acting from heel to toe.

𝑅𝑦 6𝑒
𝑞= − (1 ± )
𝐵 𝐵
For the sign of 6e/B, use (+) at point where Ry is nearest. From the diagram above, use
(+) for qT and (-) for qH. A negative q indicates compressive stress and a
positive q indicates tensile stress. A positive q will occur when e>B/6e>B/6. In
foundation design, soil is not allowed to carry tensile stress, thus, any +q will be
neglected in the analysis.

If e>B/6, Ry is outside the middle third and the foundation pressure is triangular.

2𝑅𝑦
𝑞𝑒 =
3𝑥

4.) How are dams constructed and maintained?

How are dams constructed?

 Engineers must de-water the river where the dam is meant to be built.
This is done by diverting the river through a tunnel that runs around the
intended construction zone. Tunnels like this may be lined with concrete
and are usually dug out using a combination of drilling and explosives.

 Dam construction must be started when river levels are low. A small dam
called a cofferdam is built upstream of the construction zone to help funnel
water into the diversion tunnel. A cofferdam may be built downstream as
well, but the overall goal is to keep the construction zone dry so that the
main dam can be built. Pumps may be used to remove water that
penetrates the cofferdam.
  Loose rock is removed from the riverbed, and a plinth must be
constructed. A plinth is a concrete foundation for the dam that embeds it in
the walls and floor of the riverbed/valley. This prevents water from leaking
at the edges of the dam.

 Now, it’s time to build the dam to its desired height. A concave-curved
downstream surface for a dam helps it absorb the constant pressure of
water that it must endure. Reinforced steel is used for the surfaces of the
dam itself, and an enclosure is built. The enclosure is filled with concrete
to make it extremely strong and resilient against water flow.

How are dams maintained?

 Remove vegetation from the spillway, dam wall or within the dam storage
area. Note: Before removing stumps, especially on the embankment itself,
please seek professional advice;

 To place any protective topsoil, gravel, rock or other natural material to

prevent erosion or other damage to – a dam embankment; or a spillway,
as long as the designed flood capacity is not reduced (i.e. the same
volume of water can still be passed through the spillway channel);
 Make repairs, to outlet pipes or control valves, that do not reduce the pre-
existing flow capacity of those outlet pipes or control valves;

 To de-silt a water storage area, if the dam wall is left untouched and the
pre-existing/ permitted storage capacity of the dam is not increased;

 Repairing or maintaining a fish-pass around or over an existing dam wall.

 REFERENCES:

DIT Gillesania. (2015). Hydrostatic force on surfaces. In fluid mechanics &

hydraulics(4th ed.).

How to Build a Dam: Current Construction Methods & the Need for Innovation. (2018,

December 13). Retrieved from https://esub.com/how-to-build-a-dam/

Mathalino. (n.d.). Analysis of Gravity Dam. Retrieved from

https://www.mathalino.com/reviewer/fluid-mechanics-and-hydraulics/analysis-

gravity-dam

Prasiddha. (2015, September 8). Types of Dams - Classification of Dam Types.

Retrieved from http://www.civileblog.com/types-of-dams/

Dam Maintenance and Repairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/water/dams/dam-maintenance-and-repairs