CHAPTER-2

2.0 Embankment Dams

 2.1 Introduction

• Embankment dams:- are dams built of soil and rock fill

• They commonly classified as –Earth fill dam
- Rock fill dam
- Composite dam
Earth dams can be constructed on almost all type of foundations
but Rock fill dams required some what stronger foundation.
 Classification of Earth dams.
• Based on selection of material earth dams can be divided into
three:- 1. Homogeneous earth dams –one type of soil
Modified Homogeneous earth dams
2.Zoned earth dams –more than one type of soil
3.Diaphragm- earth dams

1 2

Piping, sliding problem

2
 Zoned earth dam

• The central core is used to check seepage and is constructed from clay, silty clay
or clayey silt.
• The pervious shell is used for stability and is constructed from sand, gravel, or
mixture of these.
• The transition filter is used to prevent the migration of materials from the core to
the shell. The d/s transition filter is useful during steady seepage conditions and
the u/s filter is useful during sudden drawdown conditions
 Cont.…
• Diaphragm type earth dam:-The difference b/n zoned and
diaphragm dam is the thickness of the core. w/c is thin
impervious core
• Note:- the selection among the 3 depends on nature and availability of fill material.
 Cause of failures of Embankment dams
• Embankment dams, like any other engineering structure, may fail
due to improper design, faulty constructions, lack of maintenance,
etc. Generally,
 causes of failure are grouped into three classes:
1. Hydraulic failure
2. Seepage failure
3. Structural failure
1. Hydraulic failure(40%)
 Overtopping- less flood expectation.
- lesser spillway capacity.
- improper gate. opening
- settlement of foundation.
 Erosion of U/s face-caused by wind wave
- rip rap is the solution
 Erosion of D/s face-Heavy rains falling directly over d/s face
- berm is a solution.
 Cont.…
Erosion of d/s toe due to tail water-from spillway bucket
-wave developed in tail water.
-stone pitching up to slight height.
2. Seepage failure
•Piping is subsequent removal of the soil from the body of the dam and the formation of pipe‐like
conduit inside the dam
• Piping occurs when the seepage force is very large and concentrated
Piping through dam-poor construction
-differential settlement
-burrowing animal
-surface crack
-presence of root.
Piping through foundation- occurs when pressure exceeds soil resistance
- when foundation is loose soil
Conduit Leakage: cracks may develop in conduits provided for outlet due to foundation settlement


Sloughing of d/s toe: ‐ sloughing is the process in which the soil mass fails down after saturation
-it occurs under reservoir full condition.
3. Structural failure
 25% caused by structural failure.
 Caused by shear failure. It includes
i. Slides in embankment
ii. Foundation slides
iii. Liquefaction slides
iv. Failures by spreading
v. Failures due to earthquakes
vi. Holes caused by animals
 Design of Earth dam

• The preliminary section of an earth dam should be designed to

prevent failures that can be caused by Hydraulic, Seepage and
Structural.
• Then the following parameters should be considered.
1.Embankments crest width:-sufficient to keep the seepage line well
within the dam .
:-the crest shouldn’t be less than 4m.
* The top width (W) of the earth dam can be selected as per the following
recommendation: 1. W  0.2 * H  3 ,For very low dams (H<10m)
2. W  0,For
.55 (10<H<30m)
H  0.2H
65H (H>
1.5 30m)
1/ 2
3. W  1.dams
, For high
2.Free board:-is difference b/n max res.level and top crest to avoid overtopping.
:-the freeboard should be adequate against wave action.
 Cont…
• The free board can be calculated as per Steven son.
Fb = hw + R + S Where: Fb = Free board (cm)
R=Wave run up.
S= wind set-up.
wave height (hw) can be estimated from
F= fetch length(Km)
hw  0.032 V .F  0.76  0.24F 
1/ 4

V=wind speed(Km/hr)
2 D=avg. depth of res.(m)
S  (V F cos ) /(63,000D)
α=angle of wind to fetch
R = it can be taken as 50% of wave height(50%hw)
• Settlement allowance = 2%H
• Embankment compression Allowance = 0.001(H)3/2
 Cont.…
U/S and D/S slopes of the dam:- The slopes depend on the type of the
material, foundation condition, height of the dam, and others.
Tentative recommendation by Terzagi is

U/S D/S
Type of Section Type of Material slope slope
well-graded material 2.5:1 2:1
Coarse silt 3:1 2.5:1
Silty clay or Clay: H<15m 2.5:1 2:1
Homogenous section Silty clay or Clay: H≥ 15m 3:1 2.5:1

Sand or gravel shells with clay

core 3:1 2.5:1

Sand or gravel shells with RCC

Zoned Section core 2.5:1 2:1

But final decision is made based on stability analysis.

Core thickness:- The thickness of the core should be enough to keep the
phreatic line within it.
-It may have a top width of not less than 4m for easy of construction
 Cont.…

• The side slopes of the core in any case should not be greater than (x-0.5:1) on
the upstream and (y-0.5:1) on the downstream.
• where x: 1 is the upstream slope of the shell and y: 1 is the d/s slope of the
shell. The minimum u/s and d/s slopes of the core are usually 1.5:1 and 1:1
respectively.
Foundation seepage control:- seepage flows and pressure within the foundation are
controlled by cut-offs and by drainage.
• The cut-offs are generally two types:
– Fully penetrating cut-off: penetrate to impervious strata
– Partially penetrating cut-off: terminate where the head loss across the cut-
off is sufficient to effect the required degree of control (see fig. below)
Cont.…
 Cont.….
• Downstream Drainage:- to drain the water seep through the dam pervious
material is required.
• The type of drainage systems includes the following:
– Drainage of the dam
• Horizontal drainage blanket
• Rock toe
• Chimney drain
– Drainage of the foundation
• Toe drain
• Relief walls
• Vertical sand drains
• Upstream face protection:-to protect u/s face of the dam against erosion stone
pitching, concrete slab, asphalting ,rock armoring and riprap can be proposed.
 SEEPAGE ANALYSIS
.

Seepage through dam body Seepage through foundation

 The phreatic line is a seepage line within the body of dam
below which positive hydrostatic pressure prevails.

 phreatic line must be kept away from the downstream face

to avoid high pore water pressure which may promote
slope instability.
 Assumption for computation of seepage flow
• Water is incompressible.
• Embankment & natural foundation is incompressible and
porous.
• The seepage water flows under a hydraulic gradient which is
due only gravity head loss.
• The quantity of water entering the soil in a given time is the
same as the quantity flowing out of soil.
• The hydraulic boundary conditions are known (exit and entry).
Go through derivation of flow net eqn of soil mechanics
• Finally the amount of seepage can be computed from flow net.
• Flow net consists 2 curves called equipotential line & steam
line.
 Cont.…

 For homogeneous embankments dam, discharge per unit width (q) of the
dam passing through a flow net
q  k * H * N f / Nd Where: H is the head differential.
Nf is number of stream lines.
Nd is number of equipotential lines
K coefficient of permeability

 For non-homogeneous embankments dam, discharge per unit width (q)

of the dam passing through a flow net
q  K '*H * N f / N d
Where:- 𝐾 ′ =√ 𝑘𝑥 .𝑘𝑦
 DETERMINATION OF PHREATIC LINES
• let us consider homogeneous earth dam with horizontal filter.

 The phreatic line can be located by analytical method, graphical method &
experimental method.
 We will see first in this section graphical method of Casagrande parabola.
 Procedure of locating phreatic line graphically

1. Project line BG horizontally = HB & point 0.3of HB=AB

(starting point of parabola).
2. To locate directory of parabola use point A as center and AF as
radius, then draw arch FD. D

3. Draw vertical tangent Dd.

hence Dd is directrix of parabola
4. Put point C midway b/n FD
Q

5. To locate any point on parabola Q at any distance from F. then

measure distance QD and draw upward vertical line from Q.
6. With F as center and QD as radius draw arch that cuts vertical
line from Q.
7. Draw line that is perpendicular to u/s face from point A.
 Cont.….
8. Draw perpendicular line from B and obtain intersection point I.
9. Free hand sketch from B to I b/c equipotential lines are perpendicular
to horizontal water surface at B and C.
10. Then drive equation of parabola (QD=PF)
(QD=PF)

√ 𝑥 +𝑦
s+x =
2 2
.
𝒚 𝟐=𝟐 𝒔𝒙+𝒔 𝟐.
Is eqn of parabola

In order to get seepage discharge(q) through the body of dam;

𝑞=𝐾𝑖𝐴 . Where: k = permeability of material

i = velocity gradient
A= x-section area of seepage flow.
 Cont.…
𝑑𝑦
𝑖= 𝐴=1 ∗ 𝑦 .
𝑑𝑥 .
, and
• The substitute i , A and 𝒚 𝟐=𝟐 𝒔𝒙+𝒔 𝟐.

𝑞=𝐾 𝑺.
• Using triangular similarity.(x=b and y=H)

2
2
√
S= 𝑥 +𝑦 -x2
2
2
.
S= √ 𝑏 + 𝐻 .-b2

𝑞=𝐾 ∗(( √ 𝑏2 +𝐻 2)−𝑏 2)

• Eg.
 Phreatic line for homo. Earth dam without filter
• The focus in this case is the lowest point F on d/s slope & base
parabola BJC cutting d/s slope at J.

• But the phreatic line must emerge at some point K. meeting d/s
tangentially.
• So correction ∆a has to be made, B/c the phreatic line can’t go
out side the limit of the dam.
 Cont.…
• Then correction is ∆a depends up on the slope α of the
discharge face and  a .
a  a
a a
α in degrees a  a α in degrees a  a

30o 0.36 135o 0.14

60o 0.32 150o 0.10
90o 0.26 180o 0.0
120o 0.18    

• The value of aa can be obtained from the following

equation:
S
a  a 
1  cos 
 Zoned earth dam with central core
• As the ratio of the permeability's of the materials of the shell
and core is very large, the effect of the outer shells on the
phreatic line in the core is negligible.

L D irectrix
0.3L
A B

Phrea tic lin e M K d /s shell R ock toe

u/s shell core
J
F C
 Graphical Construction of flow net

• Properties of flow net.

Figure 2‑11:- Flow net for homogenous earth dam having horizontal drain

1. Flow lines & equipotential line meets at 900

2. Fields are square & circles can be drawn touching all 4 corners
 Cont.…
• The qty of seepage through all channel is the same.
• In a homogenous soil, every transition in the flow lines and
equipotential lines is smooth and gradual.
 SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS
 The preliminarily designed sections slope has to be checked.
– Checking against seepage and pore water pressure
– Checking the d/s slope for steady-seepage condition
– Checking u/s slope for sudden drawdown condition
– Checking u/s and d/s slope during construction period.
 Three considerations that governs the design of an earth
embankment:
1. side slopes must be stable;
2. Dimensions must be sufficient to control seepage;
3. Base width must be long enough to distribute weight of
dam over sufficient area to prevent overstress in the foundation
 Froms of failure are:- toe failure, base failure and slope failure.
 First refer soil mechanics
W=(b*Z)*γ
T=Wsinα
N=Wcosα
UB= u*ΔL
Ma =T*r
Mr =r*( CΔL+σtanφ) A= unit area
= r*( CΔL+(N- Ub)tanφ)
r Fs =Mr/Ma > 1.5

n φ
σta
Δ L+
T =C
N th
g
UB en
r str
W Shea
 Relationship between mobilizing & resisting forces
Shear
Force

SS321

N1
N2
N3
Normal Force

Force (S) required to move block is

proportional to Normal Force (N)
S
S On a slope
  S N depends on weight and 
N = W cos 
N W
WW
N N =W S also depends on weight and 
N = W sin 
 Properties of Soils

Suppose there is some “glue” between block and surface

Initially - block will not fail until bond is broken

N
F Block will
fail
F

 Block is
stable
F = C + N tan  ......4.4 C
C is the cohesion N
Practical structural failure
 Swedish Circle Method of Slope stability
• In this method the potential failure surface is assumed to be cylindrical. And the factor of safety is considered as a ratio of
avg. shear strength to avg. shear stress
Procedure of this method to test stability.
1. Take a trial slip surface and divide the wedge above the slip surface in
to 8 to 15 vertical slices;
2. Determine the weight of each slice, W=(b*Z*1)*γ, where: b=width of
the slice, Z=middle ordinate of the slice, and γ= unit weight of the soil;
3. Measure the angle θ which the normal makes with the vertical and
compute the normal, N and tangential, T component. N =W cos θ
and T= W sin θ
4. Determine the pore water pressure (u) at the base of the slice from
the flow net and compute the force UB due to pore water pressure.
UB= u*ΔL =u*b secθ
5. Determine the cohesive force, C=c* b secθ
6. Determine the factor of safety for the trail slip surface:
tan W cos  ubsec   cbsec
Fs 
W sin
7. Repeat the above procedure for a number of trial surfaces. The trial surface which
gives the minimum factor of safety is the most critical circle. The minimum factor of
safety should be greater than the specified safe value of the soil.
Location of the Most Critical Circle

• order to reduce the number of trials, Fellenius has suggested a

method of drawing a line.
• point Q is located at a depth H below the toe of slope and at a
distance of 4.5H from it, where H is the total height of the dam.
• The point P is obtained with the help of directional angles α1 and
α2 .
 Cont.…
Slope of the face Directional angles
α1 in degrees α2 in degrees
1:1 28 37
1.5:1 26 35
2:1 25 35
3:1 25 35
5:1 25 35
 Stability of downstream slope during steady seepage (reservoir full)

• when reservoir is full phreatic line crosses the failure surface.

• During this weight of the slices will be calculated as

W4   dry *V41   sat *V42

• Tangential component of W4 is
T4  W4 sin 4

• Pore water pressure of slice 4 Uw4   wh4

 Cont.…

• Shear strength at failure plane

 4  cL4  W4 cos4   wh4 L4  tan
b
L4 is cos  4

• The factor
T4 of  W cos
cL4safety of   wh4L44 is
4slide tan
FS4  
4 W4 sin4

 safetyfori the i entire

cL  W cos   h L tan
• The factor
FS of i i w i i
circle is then given by the
W sin i i
equation
Case Loading Condition Critical Slope FOS min
1 End of construction Upstream 1.3
Downstream 1.3
2 Sudden drawdown Upstream 1.3
3 Steady state Seepage Upstream 1.5
Downstream 1.5
4 Steady state seepage with Upstream 1.1
earthquake Downstream 1.1
 Design of Transition Filters

• prevent the migration of the soil particles properly designed graded filter is required.
• Filters are graded so that the finer layers are adjacent to the drains.
• Filters are also provided b/n the core of fine-grained soils and the shells of the coarse-
grained soils.
• Requirement of the filter are:-
1 - The filter material should be fine enough to prevent washing
out.
- this requirement will be satisfied, if D15 size of the filter
material is not more than 4 to 5 times D85 of the base material
2 - The filter material should be coarse enough so that it acts as a
drain for the protected material.
- this requirement will be satisfied, if the D15 size of the filter
material is at least 4 to 5 times the D15 size of the protected
material
 Cont.…
Both the above criteria can be written as:

D15 of the filter material D15 of the filter material

< 4 to 5
D85 of the protected material D15 of the protected material

Generally length of horizontal filter is recommended

25-100% of distance b/n Center line and toe.
 Dam Surface Protection

U/S face protection

• protected against erosive action protective layer like stone, pre-
cast concrete blocks, monolithic concrete pavements, and
others. For earth dams, stone rip rap is mostly used.

-
 Cont.…

D/S face protection

 d/s face has to be protected against erosive action due to wind

and rain. So we have to provide rip rap and berm.
 one berm is provided for each 10m height increase.
 Berm has the following fns:-
-To break the continuity of the d/s slope
-To provide a level surface for the construction and maintenance.
 Design of Rock fill dam
• More or less the design and construction of rock fill dams is
almost similar to that of earth dams
• Reading assignment.
THE END