CE-837

Design Considerations

Dr. Turab Jafri

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  Zoning

Contents  Filter Design

 Freeboard
 Rip-Rap
 Horizontal and Vertical Drains

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Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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10.1 Zoning

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Filters

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10.2 Filters
10.2.1 Functional Requirements
The two main functions of the filters in embankment dam are to prevent erosion of the soil particles it is
protecting and to allow drainage of seepage water. To achieve these functions, an ideal filter or filter
zone will:

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10.2 Filters
10.2.2 Design Concept
The basic concept of filter design is to design the particle size distribution of the filter so that the voids
in the filter are sufficiently small to prevent erosion of the base soil.

A further basic concept, inherent in the filter design, is that the base soil will generally provide a degree
of self-filtering. In a well-graded base soil, the coarser particles in the base soil are prevented from
eroding into the filter and they in turn prevent the medium sized particles in the base soil from eroding
and the medium sized particles in the base soil prevent the fine particles in the base soil from eroding.
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10.2 Filters
10.2.3 Sherard and Dunningan method
The USSCS (United States Soil Conservation Service) carried out extensive laboratory testing to check
filter criteria. They used several different test apparatus to simulate a concentrated leak in a dam. Based
on these tests, Sherard and Dunningan (1985, 1989) recommended the following:

*Note: D15(F) = diameter through which 15% of filter material will pass
D85(S) = diameter through which 85% of base soil will pass 14
10.2 Filters
10.2.3 Sherard and Dunningan method

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Freeboard

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.1 Introduction

The objective of having freeboard is to provide assurance against overtopping resulting from:
• Wind Setup
• Wave runup
• Landslide and seismic effects
• Settlement
• Other uncertainties in design, construction and operation

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.1 Introduction
Freeboard at maximum reservoir water surface elevation
The minimum freeboard should be greater of
a) 0.9 m
b) The sum of the wind setup and wave runup that would be generated by the average winds that
would be expected to occur during large floods, as determined after seeking advice from local
authorities and meteorologists.

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.2 Fetch
A fetch is the continuous area of water over which the wind blows in an essentially constant direction.
Fetch length is the horizontal distance (in the direction of wind) over which the wind blows. In reservoirs,
fetches are limited by the land surrounding the body of water. The shorelines are irregular and an
effective fetch is calculated from:

A trial and error approach should be used to select the critical position on the dam and direction of
central radial to give the maximum effective fetch.
The radials spanning 45° on each side of the central radial should be used to compute the effective
fetch

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Design wind estimates should be obtained from meteorological departments.
10.3 Freeboard
10.3.2 Fetch

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.3 Wave Height (h
D)

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.4 Wave Length (L)
The deep water wave length (L) in meters can be computed from

L = 1.56T2
Where, T = wave period in seconds

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10.3 Freeboard
10.3.5 Wave runup and Wind setup
Using design wave height, instead of significant wave height:

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Rip-rap

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10.4 Rip-rap

The sizing of rock needed for rip-rap and the required layer thickness are determined from the size of
waves expected on the reservoir and the nature of the earthfill or rockfill under the rip-rap.

The maximum weight of graded rip-rap (W100) is 4W50 and the minimum 0.125W50. This equivalent to the

maximum size being 1.5 times the D50 size, and the minimum size 0.5 times D50.

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10.4 Rip-rap

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Horizontal and Vertical Drains

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10.5 Horizontal and Vertical Drains

• Seepage beneath a dam on a permeable soil (or permeable weathered rock) foundation should be
allowed to exit in a controlled manner into a horizontal drain.
• It is good practice to design the horizontal drain to have sufficient capacity to discharge the flow
entering the drain from the dam foundation and from the vertical drain without the phreatic surface
rising into the low permeability fill.
• If the horizontal drain has insufficient capacity, the phreatic surface will rise into the downstream low
permeability fill, reducing the stability of the downstream slope and also potentially leading to piping
failure in the downstream fill.

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10.5 Horizontal and Vertical Drains

Design method for estimating the discharge capacity of a horizontal drain

Design method for estimating the discharge capacity of a vertical drain

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