HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES

Gravity Dams

A.B. KAYANGE
HYDRAULICS II
Department of Civil Engineering ,Polytechnic.
 Objectives

 Be acquainted with the concepts of Dams

 Be able to carry out stability analysis of dams
 Water is more useful to people when it is properly controlled, conveyed, and
contained.
 Hydraulic structures are designed and built to serve these purposes
 DAMS
 A dam is a barrier structure placed across a watercourse to store water and modify
normal stream flow.

 Dams vary in size from a few meters in height to massive structures more than 100m in
heights.

 Purposes of a Dam
Irrigation
Flood control
Water supply
Hydropower
Navigation
Recreation
 CLASSIFICATION OF DAMS

Gravity dams
Arch dams
Buttress dams
Earth dams
 DAM COMPONENTS

➢ Dam
Dam structure and embankment

➢ Outlet structure
Inlet tower or inlet structure, tunnels, Channels and outlet structure

➢ Spillway
Service spillway
Auxiliary spillway
Emergency spillway
 Because of variability in inflows, many large dams have two or more
spillways.
1. The service spillway passes normal inflows when the reservoir is full
hence known as the main spillway

2. The Auxiliary spillway is designed to discharge a portion of design flood.

It operates when the flood is less than the design flood but it is more than
the capacity of the main spillway

3. The Emergency spillway operates only when the design flood is

exceeded
 Gravity Dam
 A gravity dam has been defined as a
structure which is designed in such a way
that its own weight resists the external
forces.

 Most durable and solid and requires less

maintenance

 Masonry ( brick/concrete block ) or

concrete cast insitu ) type dam.

 Concrete gravity dams are preferred and

mostly constructed.
 Forces Acting on Gravity Dam

Water pressure
Uplift pressure
Pressure due to earthquake force
Silt pressure
Wave pressure
Ice pressure
The stabilising force is the Weight of the dam itself
Fissures are long narrow opening/line made by
cracking
How will the uplift pressure diagram
look, when we have a slopping face?
How will the uplift pressure diagram look, when we
have a slopping face?
With calculated allowable compression strength, the
Tension strength can be estimated as 10% of it
ZIKOMO