DAMS

Types of Dams | Analysis of Gravity Dams

DAMS
Dams are structures that block the flow of a river,
stream, or other waterway. Some dams divert the flow
or river water in a pipeline, canal, or channel.
Other raises the level of inland waterways to
make them navigable by ships and barges.
Many dams harness the energy of falling water to
generate electric power.
Dams also hold water for drinking and crop
irrigation and provide flood control.
PURPOSE OF DAMS
1. Irrigation and drinking water
2. Power Supply (hydroelectric)
3. Navigation
4. Flood Control
 TYPES OF DAMS

GRAVITY DAM

EMBANKMENT DAM

ARCH DAM

BUTTRESS DAM
GRAVITY DAM

Use only for the

force of Gravity to
resist water pressure-
that is, they hold back
the water by the shear
force of their weight
pushing downward.
EMBANKMENT DAM
It is a gravity
dam formed out of
loose rock, earth, or a
combination of these
materials. The
upstream and
downstream slopes of
embankment dams
are either flatter than
those of concrete
gravity dams.
ARCH DAM
These are concrete
or masonry structures that
curve upstream into a
reservoir, stretching from
one wall of a river canyon
to the other. These dams
do not need to be as
massive as gravity dams
because the canyon walls
carry part of the pressure
exerted by the reservoir.
BUTTRESS DAM
It consists of wall, or
face, supported by several
buttresses on the downstream
side. The vast majority of
buttresses dams are made of
concrete that is reinforced
with steel. These are
sometimes called hollow
dams because the buttresses
do not form a soled wall
stretching across a river
valley.
DAMS
Types of Dams | Analysis of Gravity Dams
 Downstream Side
Upstream Side
(Tailwater)
Headwater
X4
w.s.
W1
Vertical x1
Projection of
the
submerged
face of dam W4
W2
x2
h
F
x3
W3
y

Rx
1m Heel

Toe
Uplift Pressure
Diagram
z1 R
U1
U2 z2
Ry 𝐱ത
ANALYSIS OF GRAVITY DAMS
I. Consider 1 unit (1 m) length of dam (perpendicular to the
sketch)
II. Determine all the forces acting
A. Vertical Forces
1. Weight of the dam
𝐖𝟏 = 𝛄𝐜 𝐕𝟏 ; 𝐖𝟐 = 𝛄𝐜 𝐕𝟐 ; 𝐖𝟑 = 𝛄𝐜 𝐕𝟑
2. Weight of water in the upstream side (if any)
γc = unit weight of concrete 2.4γ
𝐖𝟒 = 𝛄𝐰 𝐕𝟒
(usually taken as 23.5 kN/m³)
 3. Weight or permanent structures on the dam

4. Hydrostatic Uplift
𝐔𝟏 = 𝛄𝐕𝐮𝟏
𝐔𝟐 = 𝛄𝐕𝐮𝟐
B. Horizontal Forces
1. Total Hydrostatic Force acting at the vertical
projection of the submerged portion of the dam
𝐅 = 𝛄𝐡Aҧ
2. Wind Pressure 4. Floating Bodies

3. Wave Action 5. Earthquake Load

III. Solve for the Reaction
A. Vertical Reactions
𝐑 𝐲 = σ 𝐅𝐯
𝐑 𝐲 = 𝐖𝟏 + 𝐖𝟐 + 𝐖𝟑 + 𝐖𝟒 - 𝐔𝟏 - 𝐔𝟐
B. Horizontal Reactions
𝐑 𝐱 = σ 𝐅𝐡
𝐑𝐱 = 𝐅
IV. Moment about the Toe
A. Righting Moment, RM (rotation towards the upstream side)
𝐑𝐌 = 𝐖𝟏 𝐱 𝟏 + 𝐖𝟐 𝐱 𝟐 + 𝐖𝟑 𝐱 𝟑 + 𝐖𝟒 𝐱 𝟒

B. Overturning Moment, OM (rotation towards the downstream

side)
𝐎𝐌 = 𝐅𝐲 + 𝐔𝟏 𝐳𝟏 + 𝐔𝟐 𝐳𝟐

V. Location of R y (തx)
𝐑𝐌 − 𝐎𝐌
𝐱ത =
𝐑𝐲
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
A. Factor of Safety against Sliding (FSs )
𝛍𝐑 𝐲
𝐅𝐒𝐬 = >𝟏
𝐑𝐱

B. Factor of Safety against Overturning (FSo )

𝐑𝐌
𝐅𝐒𝐨 = >𝟏
𝐎𝐌

μ = coefficient of friction between the base of the dam and the foundation
𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 B/3 B/3 B/3
A. For e ≤ B/6 e = B/2 - 𝐱ത
B/6 B/6
P Mc Ry R y e(B/2)
q=− ± q=− ±
A I B B³/12 Heel Toe
P = Ry Ry 6R y e 𝒒𝑯 𝒒𝑻
q=− ±
A = B(1m) = B B B²
𝑆𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 e xത
Ry
M = Ry e 𝐑𝐲 𝟔𝐞
𝐪=− 𝟏 ± 1m cg Ry
1m (B)³ 𝐁 𝐁
I=
12 B/2 B/2
𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄:
c = B/2 (+) to get the stress at point where B
𝐑 𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, other wise use ( - ) .
𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 B/2
B. For e > B/6 e

xത = a/3
a = 3തx
𝒒𝒆
1 a/3
R y = 2 (a)(qe )(1) 𝐑𝐲
xത
1
R y = (3തx)qe a
2
𝟐𝐑 𝐲
𝐪𝐞 =
𝟑ത
𝐱
Example No. 1
The section of the masonry das is as shown. The specific
weight of water is 9.81 kN/m³ and that of concrete is 23.54
kN/m³. Assuming uplift pressure varies linearly from maximum
hydrostatic pressure at the heel to zero at the location of the
drain, determine (a) location of the resultant force, (b) factor of
safety against sliding if coefficient of friction is 0.75, (c) factor of
safety against overturning, and (d) the stress at the heel and at
the toe.
Solution:
7m El. 52m

El. 50m
1 1

2
10

El. 0

23.2 m Drain
 5.2 m 26 m 1
x1 = 26m + 7m + 5.2m
7m 3
5m 𝐱𝟏 = 34.733 m
1m 𝐱 𝟒 = 36.533m
1
x2 = 26m + 7m
2
𝐱 𝟏 = 34. 733m 𝐱𝟐 = 29.5 m
hത = 25 m 𝐖𝟒
𝐱 𝟐 = 29.5 m 52 m 2
x 3 = 26m
50 m 3
𝐱 𝟑 = 17.333 m 𝐱𝟑 = 17.333 m
𝐅
𝐖𝟐 2
𝐖𝟏 𝐖𝟑 x 4 = 26m + 7m + 0.2m + 5m
𝐲 = 𝟏𝟔. 𝟔𝟔𝟕𝐦 3
𝐱𝟒 = 36.533 m
Heel Uplift Toe 2
z1 = 38.2m − 23.2m + 23.2m
𝐝 = 𝟒𝟗𝟎. 𝟓 𝐤𝐏𝐚 Drain 3
𝐳𝟏 = 30.467 m
U 𝐳𝟏 = 30.467 m
kN
d = 50m(9.81 )
m3
23.2 m
𝐝 = 490.5 kN/m² or 490.5 kPa
38.2 m
I. Consider 1 m length of dam W4 = γw V4
II. Forces W4 = (9.81 kN/m³)
1
W1 = γc V1 (2)(5m)(50m)(1m)
1
W1 = (23.54 kN/m³)(2)(5.2m)(52m)(1m) 𝐖𝟒 = 1,226.250 kN
𝐖𝟏 = 3,182.608 kN
ത
F = γhA
W2 = γc V2 kN
F = 9.81 25m (50m)(1m)
W2 = (23.54 kN/m³) (7m)(52m)(1m) m3
𝐖𝟐 = 8,568.560 kN 𝐅 = 12,262.5 kN

W3 = γc V3 U = γw VU
1 1
W3 = (23.54 kN/m³)(2)(26m)(52m)(1m) U = (2)(490.5kN/m²)(23.2m)(1m)

𝐖𝟑 = 15,913.040 kN 𝐔 = 5,689.8 kN
III. Reactions
Rx = F
𝐑 𝐱 = 12,262.5 kN

R y = W1 + W2 + W3 + W4 - U

R y = 3,182.608 kN + 8,568.560 kN +
15,913.040 kN+ 1,226.250 kN - 5,689.8 kN
𝐑 𝐲 = 23,200.658 kN
IV. Moment
RM = W1 x1 + W2 x2 + W3 x3 + W4 x4
RM = (3,182.608 kN)(34.733m) + (8,568.560 kN)(29.5m) + (15,913.040 kN)
(17.333m)+ (1,226.250 kN)(36.533m)
𝐑𝐌 = 683,933. 357 kN-m

OM = Py + Uz
OM = 12,262.5 kN(16.667m) + 5,689.8 kN(30.467 m)
𝐎𝐌 = 377,730.224 kN-m
V. Location of R y
RM − OM
xത =
Ry
683,933. 357 kN−m − 377,730.224 kN−m
xത =
23,200.658 kN
𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟑. 𝟐 𝐦
 5.2 m 26 m a. location of the resultant
7m
5m
force
1m 𝐱 𝟒 = 36.533m 𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟑. 𝟐 𝐦

𝐱 𝟏 = 34. 733m
b. Factor of Safety against
hത = 25 m 𝐖𝟒 sliding
𝐱 𝟐 = 29.5 m 52 m
50 m
μRy
𝐱 𝟑 = 17.333 m FSs =
𝐅 Rx
𝐖𝟐 (0.75)(23,200.658 kN)
𝐲 = 𝟏𝟔. 𝟔𝟔𝟕𝐦
𝐖𝟏 𝐖𝟑 FSs = 12.262.5 kN
Toe
(0.75)(23,200.658 kN)
Heel Uplift 𝐑𝐱 FSs = 12,262.5 kN
490.5 kPa 𝐑𝐲 𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟑. 𝟐 𝐦
𝐅𝐒𝐬 = 𝟏. 𝟒𝟏𝟗
U 𝐳𝟏 = 30.467 m

23.2 m
38.2 m
c. Factor of safety against overturning
RM
FSo = OM

683,933. 357 kN−m

FSo =
377,730.224 kN−m
𝐅𝐒𝐨 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝟏𝟎

d. Stress at the heel and at the toe.

e = B/2 −ഥx 23,200.658 kN 6(5.9m)
q=− 1 ±
e = 38.2m/2 − 13.2 m 38.2m 38.2m
e = 5.9 m 𝐪𝐓 = -1,170.177 kPa
B/6 = 38.2m/6 = 6.367
𝐪𝐇 = -44.518 kPa
e < B/6