Izet Mehmetaj

CONCRETE DAM
ENGINEERING
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CONTENTS
3.1 Loading: concepts and criteria
3.1.1 Loads
3.1.2 Load combinations
3.1.3 Forces, moments and structural equilibrium
3.2 Gravity dam analysis
3.2.1 Criteria and principles
3.2.2 Overturning stability
3.2.3 Sliding stability
3.2.4 Stress analysis: gravity method
3.2.5 Permissible stresses and cracking
3.2.6 Upstream face flare
3.2.7 Gravity profile selection
3.2.8 Advanced analytical methods
3.2.9 Stabilizing and heightening

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FORCES ON DAMS
Primary Loads are identified as universally applicable and of prime
importance to all dams, irrespective of type, e.g. water and related
seepage loads, and self-weight loads.
Secondary loads are generally discretionary and of lesser magnitude
(e.g. sediment load) or, alternatively, are of major importance only to
certain types of dams (e.g. thermal effects within concrete dams).
Exceptional Load are so designated on the basis of limited general
applicability or having a low probability of occurrence. (e.g. tectonic
effects, or the inertial loads associated with seismic activity)

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Contd
The primary loads and the more important secondary and exceptional
sources of loading are identified schematically on Fig. below, a gravity dam
section being used for this purpose as a matter of illustrative convenience.

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Contd
Primary Loads:
(a): Water Load: This is a hydrostatic distribution of pressure with horizontal
resultant force P1. (Note that a vertical component of load will also exist in
the case of an upstream face batter, and that equivalent tail water loads may
operate on the downstream face.)
(b): Self Weight load: This is determined with respect to an appropriate unit
weight for the material. For simple elastic analysis the resultant, P2, is
considered to operate through the centroid of the section.
(c): Seepage Loads: Equilibrium seepage patterns will develop within and
under a dam, e.g. in pores and discontinuities, with resultant vertical loads
identified as internal and external uplift, P3 and P4, respectively.

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Contd
Secondary Loads:
(a): Sediment load: Accumulated silt etc. generates a horizontal thrust, considered as an equivalent
additional hydrostatic load with horizontal resultant P5.
(b): Hydrodynamic wave load: This is a transient and random local load, P6, generated by wave
action against the dam (not normally significant).
(c): Ice Load: Ice thrust, P7, from thermal effects and wind drag, may develop in more extreme
climatic conditions (not normally significant).
(d): Thermal Load: (concrete dams), This is an internal load generated by temperature differentials
associated with changes in ambient conditions and with cement hydration and cooling (not shown).
(e): Interactive effect: Internal, arising from relative stiffness and differential deformations of dam
and attributable to local variations in foundation stiffness and other factors, e.g. tectonic movement
(not shown).
(f): Abutment hydrostatic load: Internal seepage load in abutment rock mass ( This is of particular
concern to arch and cupola dams)

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Contd
Exceptional Load:
(a): Seismic Load: Oscillatory horizontal and vertical inertia loads
are generated with respect to the dam and the retained water by
seismic disturbance. For the dam they are shown symbolically to act
through the section centroid. For the water inertia forces the simplified
equivalent static thrust, P8, is shown.
(b): Tectonic Loads: Saturation, or disturbance following deep
excavation in rock, may generate loading as a result of slow tectonic
movements.
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LOAD COMBINATION
A dam is designed for the most adverse combinations of loads as they have
reasonable probability of simultaneous occurrence.
For construction conditions: Dam is completed, reservoir is empty, no tail
water:
With earthquake forces
Without earthquake forces
For normal operating conditions: reservoir full, normal tail water
conditions, normal uplifts and silt load
With earthquake forces
Without earthquake forces
For flood discharge conditions: reservoir at max flood level, all spillway
gates open, tail water at flood levels, normal uplifts and silt load
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Contd
Three nominated load combinations are
sufficient for almost all circumstances.
In ascending order of severity they may be
designated as normal (sometimes usual),
unusual and extreme load combinations,
here denoted as NLC, ULC and ELC
respectively.
The nominated load combinations as
defined in the table are not universally
applicable.
An obligation remains with the designer to
exercise discretion in defining load
combinations which properly reflect the
circumstances of the dam under
consideration, e.g. anticipated flood
characteristics, temperature regimes,
operating rules, etc.

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GRAVITY DAM ANALYSIS
Criteria and principles:
The dam profile must demonstrate an acceptable margin of safety with
regard to:

1. Rotation and overturning

2. Translation and sliding
3. Overstress and material failure

Criteria 1 and 2 control overall structural stability. Both must be satisfied

with respect to the profile above all horizontal planes within the dam and
the foundation. The overstress criterion, 3, must be satisfied for the dam
concrete and for the rock foundation.

The sliding stability criterion, 2, is generally the most critical of the three,
notably when applied to the natural rock foundation.
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Contd
Safety criteria:
1. Safety against Overturning
2. Safety against Sliding
3. Safety against Crushing
4. Safety against Tension
Dams are not designed to take any tension load.
Safety factors must be more than permissible under all load
Combinations.

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GRAVITY DAM: LOADING CONCEPTS
DFL=Design flood level;
NML=Normal maximum level, i.e. maximum retention
level of spill weir;
TWL=Tailwater level

Gravity dam loading diagram

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(a) Primary loads
WATER LOAD
The external hydrostatic
pressure, Pw, at depth z1 is
expressed as

where w is the unit weight of

water, 9.81kN/m3
The resultant horizontal
force, Pwh, is determined as

acting at height z1/3 above

plane XX.

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(a) Primary loads
SELF LOAD
Self-weight of structure is
accounted for in terms of its
resultant, Pm, which is
considered to act through
the centroid of the cross-
sectional area Ap of the dam
profile

c is the unit weight of Where crest gates and other ancillary

concrete, assumed as structures or equipment of significant
23.5kN/m3 in the absence of weight are present they must also be
specific data from laboratory accounted for in determining Pm and
trials or from core samples. the position of its line of action.

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(a) Primary loads
SEEPAGE AND UPLIFT LOAD:
Uplift load, Pu, is represented by the resultant effective vertical
components of interstitial water pressure uw.
Uplift pressure at u/s=wz1 and uplift pressure at d/s wz2

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(a) Primary loads
SEEPAGE AND UPLIFT LOAD
If no pressure relief drains are
provided or if they cease to
function owing to leaching and
blockage, then

where T is base area per unit

base thickness.
Pu acts through the centroid of
the pressure distribution
diagram at distance y1 from the
In modern dams internal uplift is
controlled by the provision of vertical
relief drains close behind the
upstream face. The mean effective
head at the line of drains, zd, can be
expressed as

heel, and
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LOADING CONCEPTS
(b) Seconday loads
SEDIMENT LOAD
The magnitude of sediment load, Ps, is
given by

Where, z3 is sediment depth,

s is the submerged unit weight of
sediment and the Ka is the active lateral
pressure coefficient and s is the angle
of shearing resistance of the sediment
Ps is active at z3/3 above plane XX.

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(b) Seconday loads
HYDRODYNAMIC WAVE LOAD
It is considered only in exceptional
cases. Pwave is necessary a
conservative estimate of additional
hydrostatic load at the reservoir
surface is provided by

Hs is the significant wave height, i.e.

the mean height of the highest third of
waves in a sample, and is reflected at
double amplitude on striking a vertical
face

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(b) Seconday loads
ICE LOAD
Ice load can be introduced in
circumstances where ice sheets
form to appreciable thicknesses
and persist for lengthy periods.
According to USBR, 1976,
acceptable initial provision for
ice load is given below:

Pice=145kN/m2 if ice thicknesses

> 0.6 m
Pice=0 if ice thickness < 0.4m
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LOADING CONCEPTS

(b) Seconday loads

THERMAL AND DAMFOUNDATION INTERACTION
EFFECTS
Comprehensively discussed in USBR (1976).

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(C) Exceptional loads
SEISMICITY AND SEISMIC LOAD
Concrete dams are quasi-elastic structures and are intended to remain so
at their design level of seismic acceleration. They should also be designed
to withstand an appropriate maximum earthquake, e.g. CME (controlling
maximum earthquake) or SEE (safety evaluation earthquake) (Charles et
al., 1991) without rupture.

Seismic loads can be approximated using the simplistic approach of

pseudostatic or seismic coefficient analysis. Inertia forces are calculated in
terms of the acceleration maxima selected for design and considered as
equivalent to additional static loads. This approach, sometimes referred to
as the equivalent static load method, is generally conservative.

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LOADING CONCEPTS
(C) Exceptional loads
SEISMICITY AND SEISMIC LOAD: PSEUDOSTATIC ANALYSIS
INERTIA FORCES: MASS OF DAM
Pseudostatic inertia and hydrodynamic loads are determined from seismic
coefficients h and v as detailed below.

As with self-weight load, Pm, inertia forces are considered to operate

through the centroid of the dam section. The reversible direction of the forces will
be noted; positive is used here to denote inertia forces operative in an upstream
and/or a downward sense
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LOADING CONCEPTS
(C) Exceptional loads
SEISMICITY AND SEISMIC LOAD: PSEUDOSTATIC ANALYSIS
HYDRODYNAMIC INERTIA FORCES: WATER REACTION.
An initial estimate of these forces can be obtained using a parabolic
approximation to the theoretical pressure distribution as analyzed in
Westergaard (1933).
Relative to any elevation at depth z1 below the water surface, hydrodynamic
pressure pewh is determined by

In this expression zmax is the maximum depth of water at the section of dam
considered. Ce is a dimensionless pressure factor, and is a function of z1/zmax
and u, the angle of inclination of the upstream face to the vertical.
The resultant hydrodynamic load is given by:

and acts at elevation 0.40z1 above XX.

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

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LOADING CONCEPTS

LOADING CONCETS

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 Izet Mehmetaj

BUTTRESS DAM
ANALYSIS
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CONTENTS
3.3.1 General
3.3.2 Buttress analysis and profile design

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3.3.1 General

Buttress dams: in structural concept the buttress dam consists of a

continuous upstream face supported at regular intervals by
downstream buttresses.
There are two distinct groups as representative of modern practice:
Massive buttress (diamond head)
Massive buttress (round head)
The principal advantages of the massive buttress dam:
offers greater ability to accommodate foundation deformation without damage
economy of material
a major reduction in uplift load

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contd

Massive buttress (diamond head) Massive buttress (round head)

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3.3.2 Buttress analysis and profile design

Buttress dam analysis is conducted in two phases: stability

investigations and the determination of stresses within the profile.
The structural form of the buttress dam has two important
consequences with respect to primary loads:
uplift pressures are effectively confined to the buttress head
,
the vertical component of the water load Pwv on the sloping upstream face is
very much enhanced relative to any gravity profile.
As a result, stability against overturning is a less meaningful design
criterion.

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contd

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contd
The massive buttress dam is constructed from a series of
independent units (along the axis of the dam of about 1215m),
each composed of one buttress head and a supporting buttress, or
web.
The sliding stability of one complete unit is investigated in terms of
FSS, sliding factor or, more usually, FSF, shear friction factor
(comparable with those required of a gravity profile.).
Stress analysis of a buttress unit is complex and difficult.
Finite element analyses employed to assist in determining the
optimum shape for the buttress head to avoid undesirable stress
concentrations at its junction with the web.

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 Thank you!

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