GROUP 8

Welcome to the
presentation
Chapter two
Concrete dams
 TOPICS GOING TO BE COVERED
 INTRODUCTION

 PARAMETERS / TERMINOLOGY

 FORCES ACTING ON A GRAVITY DAM

 LOAD COMBINATION

 DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF GRAVITY DAM

INTRODUCTION
 A gravity dam is a solid structure, made of concrete or
masonry, constructed across a river to create a reservoir on its
upstream
 The section is so proportioned that it resists the various forces
acting on it by its own weight.
 Are usually consist of two sections; namely, the non-overflow
section and the overflow section or spillway section.

 Are particularly suited across gorges with very steep side slopes
where earth dams might slip
 are usually cheaper than earth dams
 It is the most permanent one, and requires little maintenance.
Typical Concrete gravity dam
 Parameters/Terminologies
1. AXIS OF THE DAM: is the line of the upstream edge of the top (or crown) of the dam. it is usually
straight line.
2. LENGTH OF THE DAM: is the distance from one abutment to the other, measured along the axis of the
dam at the level of the top of the dam.
3. HEIGHT OF THE DAM: is the difference in elevations of the top of the dam and the lowest point in the
excavated foundation.

4. TOE AND HEEL: The toe of the dam is the downstream edge of the base, and the heel is the upstream
edge of the base.

5. MAXIMUM BASE WIDTH OF THE DAM: is the maximum horizontal distance between the heel and the
toe of the maximum section of the dam in the middle of the valley.

6. HYDRAULIC HEIGHT OF THE DAM: is equal to the difference in elevations of the highest controlled
water surface on the upstream of the dam (i.e. FRL) and the lowest point in the river bed
 FORCES ACTING ON A GRAVITY DAM

Weight of the dam
 Water pressure
 Uplift pressure
 Wave pressure
 Silt pressure
 Earthquake forces
 Ice pressure
 Wind pressure
 Cont.…
FORCES ACTING ON A GRAVITY DAM
 These forces fall into three categories as:

A. Primary loads Forces, such as weight of the dam and

water pressure, which are directly calculable from the unit
weights of the materials and properties of fluid pressures;
and

B. Secondary loads: Forces, such as uplift, earthquake loads,

silt pressure and ice pressure, which can only be assumed
on the basis of assumption of varying degree of reliability.
C. Exceptional loads: are loads designated on the basis of limited
general applicability or having a low probability of occurrence
E.g. Seismic load, tectonic effects, or the inertia loads
associated with seismic activity
In the estimating of the second category of the
forces that special care has to be taken and reliance
placed on available data, experience, and judgment.
 1 . WEIGHT OF DAM
Is Main stabilizing force in a gravity dam

Dead load = weight of concrete or masonry or both + weight of

such appurtenances as gates, bridges and piers .

Weight of the dam per unit length is equal to the

product of the area of cross-section of the dam and
the specific weight (or unit weight) of the material.
W = c A……………
where c = 24 kN/m3 and masonry 23kN/m3
For convenience, the cross-section of the dam is
divided into simple geometrical shape such as
rectangles and triangles, for the computation of
weights.
 2.Water Pressure(load)
External Water Pressure (For Non-overflow Section)

 Water pressure on the upstream face is the main destabilizing (or overturning)
force acting on a gravity dam.

 Tail water pressure helps in the stability.

 Although the weight of water varies slightly with temp., the variation is
usually ignored. Unit Mass of water is taken as 1000 kg/m3 and specific weight
of water (w )= 9.81 kN / m3

 The water pressure always acts normal to the face of dam.

 It is convenient to determine the components of the forces in the horizontal and

vertical directions instead of the total force on the inclined surface directly.
 iii. Water load: Overflow section of a dam
In spillway section, when the gates are closed, the water pressure can be
worked out in the same manner as for non–overflow sections except for
vertical load of water on the dam itself.

Where
PH2
Ha : the velocity head,
PH1 : pressure on ½ (H2- H1)
PH2: the pressure at 1/3(H2) of the dam

PH : the pressure force on the dam

face
 3.UPLIFT PRESSURE

 The uplift pressure will be considered as acting over 100 percent of the base.

 A hydraulic gradient between the upper and lower pool is developed between the heel
and toe of the dam.

 The pressure distribution along the base and in the foundation is dependent on the
effectiveness of drains and grout curtain, where applicable, and geologic features such
as rock permeability, seams, jointing, and faulting.

 In the case of uplift pressure there are two cases

A. when there is no drainage gallery

B. when there is drainage gallery

Case a : Uplift pressure with out drainage gallery (U)
Cont.…

case b: Uplift pressure with drainage gallery

Here the Purpose providing gallery
To reduce the uplift pressure through the
body of the dam

According to the U.S.B.R. recommendations,

Drainage the ­uplift pressure at the line of the drains is

H gallery
equal to the hydrostatic pressure at the d/s face
plus one-third of the differences of pressures at

B
H the U/S and d/s faces. Thus the uplift pressure

’ intensity at the line of drains is given by

U
a
UPLIFT PRESSURE
For convenience, the cross-section of the dam is divided into simple geometrical shape such as rectangles and triangles, for the computation of the
.
uplift pressure

U1= ½rw a (H- [H'+ 1/3 (H-H')]) @ (a-a/3) + (B-a) from toe

U2= rwH a @ (a) + (B-a) form toe

U3= ½ rw (b-a) (H'+ 1/3 (H-H') –H’) @ (B-a) - (B-a)/3 from toe

U4= rw H’ (B-a) @ (b-a) /2 from toe

therefore:
Total Uplift pressure (U)= U1 + U2+ U3+ U4
4. Wave pressure
 Theportions of the dam is subjected to the impact of
waves, which is produced in water surface during
wind.

2.4 hw

 Thewave pressure is determined by the following

formula
Cont...

NB: W= = SP.GRAVITY OF WATER 9.18 KN/M

5. Earthquake Forces
Since Earth quake wave may move in every direction; It has to be resolved in
to vertical (αv) and horizontal (αh) components of accelerations

 No section of Ethiopia(any country) may be assumed to be entirely free from the occurrence of
earthquake shocks.

 Vertical as well as horizontal accelerations should be considered in designing gravity dams.

 During the occurrence of temporary abnormal loads, such as those produced by earthquake
shocks, some increases in stress magnitudes and some encroachments on usual factors of safety
are permissible.
 Both (αh) and (αv) accelerations are generally expressed as a % of the acceleration due to
gravity i.e. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.
 CONT..
THERE ARE TWO WORST CONDITIONS REGARDING E.Q. FORCES:

Case A Case B
Reservoir full case: worst if it is additive to the Reservoir empty case: worst if it is acting in the upstream
hydrostatic pressure (when earthquake is moving in the direction(when earthquake is moving in the d/s d/n).
Up stream direction.

 CASE A

v Inertia force is additive

to the hydrostatic
pressure

PH
c
CASE B:

v Inertia force is acting

in the u/s d/n

c
Tension

Earthquake moving upstream

Load Combinations

Dams should be designed on the basis of: Most rigorous adverse combinations
of loads which have a reasonable probability of simultaneous occurrence.
 Combinations of loads which have a negligible likely hood of occurrence
are not considered as a valid basis for design.
 Three nominated load combinations are sufficient for almost all
circumstances.
These are :

a)Normal load combinations (NLC)

b)Unusual load combinations (ULC)
c)Extreme load combinations (ELC )
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF GRAVITY DAM

 Design and analysis of gravity dam it is all about :

Forces, moments and structural equilibrium of a dam:

GRAVITY DAM FAILURE MECHANISMS

 Gravity dam may fail in the following ways:

1) By overturning rotation about the toe

2) By shear failure called sliding
3) By compression or Crushing
4) By development of tension
 1.Over turning stability (Fo)
 To make the structure of the dam stable from rotational or overturning failure
the following governing criteria should be satisfied

 F0 ( factor of safety against over turning) should be greater than 1.5

2. Sliding Stability (Fs)

A . Shear friction factor (FSF) is defined as :Is the ratio of

the total resistance to shear & sliding which Can be mobilized
on a plane to the total horizontal load.

•For horizontal sliding plane (a = 0)

B. Sliding factor of safety (Fss)…
CONT…

Sliding factor of safety (Fss)…

C .Limit Equilibrium Factor (FLE) :
Is defined as the ratio of shear strength
3. Compression or Crushing
If the produced compressive stress is greater than the allowable material compressive stress (2
– 3 M Nm-2 or 20 – 30 Kg cm-2), then dam may fail by crushing.

the vertical stress at the base is given by equation

F=2 x 107N with
A = 2m2

s allow =
300 KNm-2
Where, ∑V = Total vertical force
B = Dam base width
e = eccentricity of the resultant force from the base of the dam
I = the second moment of area of the plane about its center
 4. BY DEVELOPMENT OF TENSION
•The max. permissible tensile stress for high concrete gravity
dams, under worst loadings, may be taken as 500 KN/m2
(5kg/cm2).
•In order to ensure that no tension is developed anywhere, the
amount of Pmin should at most equal to zero (Pmin = 0) i.e.
THANK YOU

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