ASSIGNMENT ON

Types & Construction of Dams

Name: Saurabh Verma Roll no :903155 Branch : Electrical Engg Subject : Power Station Engineering Date : 1-03-2012

DAM:
Dams are structural barriers built to obstruct or control the flow of water in rivers and streams. They are designed to serve two broad functions. The first is the storage of water to compensate for fluctuations in river discharge (flow) or in demand for water and energy. The second is the increase of hydraulic head , or the difference in height between water levels in the lake created upstream of the dam and the downstream river. 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.

Types of Dams:
According to their functions, dams serve three main purposes: storage, diversion, or detention.

Storage dams Theyare constructed to impound water in periods of surplus supply for use in periods of deficiency. Many small dams impound the spring runoff for later use in dry summers. Storage dams may also provide a water supply, or improved habitat for fish and wildlife. They may store water for hydroelectric power generation, irrigation or for a flood control project The specific purpose of a storage dam influences its design and determines the amount of reservoir needed. Where multiple purposes are involved e.g. both power and irrigation, reservoir allocation is usually made for each separate use. The volume of storage establishes the height and width of the dam. Diversion dams They provide sufficient pressure for pushing water into ditches, canals, or other conveyance systems. Such shorter dams are used for irrigation, and for diversion from a stream to a distant storage reservoir. Detention dams They minimize the effect of sudden floods and trap sediment. Overflow dams They carry water discharge over their crests, and are made of materials that will not be eroded by such discharges. Non-overflow dams are designed not to be overtopped, and may include earth and rock in their structure. Often the two types are combined to form a composite structure. To prevent a dam from being overtopped, spillway structures carry off excess water. In earthfill dams, essential spillways are built as separate structures, often a shaft or tunnel adjacent to the dam. With concrete gravity dams, the downstream side of the structure acts as the spillway.

Dams Construction:
Dam structure and design
To classify dams into different types can be tedious, given the numerous technical criteria of classification of dams. However, the following are the most visibly important types of dams to the common people, based on clearly identifiable difference in appearance or material used.

Earthfill Dams:
Earthfill dams are constructed basically by laying layers of scientifically compacted soil or soil-rock mix to form embankments, trapezoidal in cross-section, across the river. Qulaity of soil used and the efficiency of design and construction play key roles in the safety and stability of this kind of dam built with nothing but humble earth. Upstream face of an earth dam is usually protected from erosion by a surface layer of flat rock, called rip-rap. There are three sub-types of earth dams. Homogeneous type dams are constructed with a single type of soil throughout the crosssection, whereas, a Zoned type dam, has an impervious core zone surrounded by a relatively pervious zone. In Diaphragm type dam, on the hand, a tall impervious wall of less than 10 m thickness replaces the impervious zone. Ex: Trinity dam, Weaverville, California, USA

Rock-Fill dams:

These are better cousins of earth dams as they can afford steeper slopes and smaller cross-section. These are constructed with loose rocks and boulders instead of soil. Obviously, workmanship plays a crucial role in ensuring safety and reducing seepage. Often, an impervious RCC slab is laid on upstream face. The Salt Springs dam in California, US and

The Cougar dam on the South Fork of Mc Knezie River, Oregon, US.

Solid Masonry Gravity dams:

A Gravity dam resists the pressure of water by its sheer weight. As such, it is laid to be very heavy and need a strong rocky foundation. Masonry gravity dams are stronger and more stable than earth and rock-fill dams. Aswan dam (Old), Egypt Nagarjunasagar dam, River Krishna, Andhrapradesh, India

Hollow Gravity dams:

These dams are similar to solid gravity type but use less concrete or masonry, saving upto 35 to 40% body volume. Basically they are a continuous inclined RCC slab on upstream face, supported by buttresses vertical pier like walls or arches on downstream side, built below it. Depending on the support type, they are called as Buttress Dams or Multiple-Arch Dams. Obviously, it is complex in design and construction. Uniqueness of buttress dam lies in its extendibility: The upstream wall can be extended by laying extra supports, to raise the height of the dam! Power houses and other appurtenant structures can be built in the open space available below the slab. Itaipu Dam on Parana River, Brazil Paraguay Lake Tahoe on the Truckee River, Britain

Rubber dams:

A symbol of sophistication and simple and efficient design, this most recent type of dam uses huge cylindrical shells made of special synthetic rubber and inflated by either compressed air or pressurized water. Rubber dams offer ease of construction, operation and decommissioning in tight schedules. These can be deflated when pressure is released and hence, even the crest level can be controlled to some extent. Surplus waters would simply overflow the inflated shell. They need extreme care in design and erection and are limited to small projects.

Steel dams:

Thesedays, steel dams are not used for major projects, obviously due to maintenance issues. Their use as minor and coffer dams, however, is prevalent. One popular example of steel dam is Redridge Steel Dam built across the Salmon Trout River in Michigan, USA, in 1901. It is of flat slab buttress construction. In the image shown below, an old wooden dam which was submerged, after the steel dam was built, can also be seen. When the steel dam was finally decommissioned, the wooden dam has resurfaced again.

Arch dams:

Arch dams are made of thin RCC section hence, are lighter than gravity dams. They are curved in plan, with their concave side facing downstream. It retains substantial part of water pressure by virtue of its shape. Thus, this type of construction suits narrow river valleys with solid rocky abutments. It is aesthetically the most pleasing of all types of dams. Sautet dam on Drac River, France,

Embankment Dam:

An embankment dam uses the locally available material (rocks, gravel, sand, clay, etc.) in construction. Just as with gravity dams, the weight of embankment dams is used to resist the force of the water. The permeability of the materials that make up these dams allows water to flow into and through the dam. An impervious membrane or clay core must be built into them to counteract the flow and protect the integrity of the structure. Because the materials are locally available and the construction of these dams is relatively simple.

Conclusion:
The general data presented in this assignment gives an idea of the extreme diversity of the millions of very large or very small dams worldwide. Dam design and construction methods for the most usual types of large dams were presented and justified .

Thank You!!!