LOADS ON DAM

CONCRETE GRAVITY DAM

 Rigid structure
 Maintain stability from
 Geometric shape - Triangular
 Mass of concrete
 Strength of concrete

 Could be overflow and/or non-overflow

 Usually straight along the dam axis,
TYPICAL CONCRETE GRAVITY DAM

Shasta Dam impounds the Sacramento River in northern California

LOADING
 Considers possible service loading
 Stability of dam and foundation

 Stresses with in allowable limits

 Satisfactory water-tightness

 Structural integrity
LOADS ON DAM
 General
 Primary loads
 More important (Self weight, hydrostatic and dynamic load,
uplift…)
 Secondary loads
 Less important and specific to dam type Silt load, ice, wave…
 Special
 Seismic loads, tectonic
LOADS ON DAM
 Water pressure
 External water pressure
 Internal water pressure
 Weight of structure
 Earth and silt pressure
 Wind pressure
 Wave pressure
 Earthquake (or seismic)
 Ice pressure
 H = Head water depth
H’ = Tail Water depth
FWA = Wave pressure force
LOADS ON DAM FH = Horizontal hydrostatic force
FS = Silt/sediment pressure force
FEQ = Earthquake/Seismic force
FW = Wind pressure force
FH’ = Tail water hydrostatic force
W = Weight of dam
FOD = Internal pore water pressure
FU = Uplift pressure force [base of dam]
FV = Weight of water above dam [u/s]
FV’ = Weight of water above dam [d/s]
WATER PRESSURE
 External Water pressure (for non-overflow section)
FH = ½ wH2
 Internal water pressure
 Actsat the base of the dam
 With in the structure itself
 Reduces effective weight of structure
 Depends on
 point hydrostatic pressure and
 uplift area
LOADS ON DAM

Hydrostatic pressure  Overflow section (spillway)

 Over non-overflow section H
a
TEL

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

va 1

H PH1
2

H5
H4

Pc =γ(Ha+H1) Fig 4.9- b

Hp   ( H 2  H 1  H a )
Fig 49.a
1 2
PH   ( H 2 ) * (( H1  H a )  *  ( H 2 )
2
1 1 ( H 2  2 H 1 )  3H a
PH  wH 2 Z  ( H 2  H1 )( )
2 3 ( H 2  H1 )  2 H a

 9 crest
Ha is the velocity head, Pc= pressure on the
PH =the pressure force on the dam face
LOAD ON DAMS
 Dynamic pressure on the d/s face
Water Pressure forces
 The downstream face of the overflow
section is usually of the curved shape to
guide the water smoothly over the surface.

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

Due to change in momentum, the water
exerts a dynamic force on the dam. The
horizontal and vertical components of the
force can be determined by applying the
w
F H  q v2 h  v1h  horizontal force impulse momentum equation to the water
g
in the control volume a-b-c-d

Fig 4.10  The equation is applied in the horizontal

and vertical directions
w
 Fv  q v2 v  v1v  vertical force  Tail water is made away by hydraulic
g jump action so it is not considered. If the
hydraulic jump is submerged it follow the
non-overflow section approach 10
LOADS ON DAM
 Uplift pressure in the body of the dam

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h b

H h’=0
wh

H’
B
wH’
U1
wH
U2 11
LOAD ON DAM(UPLIFT PRESSURE)
 Uplift with crack

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

 Total uplift U:
 U=w [B’H+0.5(H+H')*(B-B’)]

H  Same expression can be

H’
used for pressure in the
B’
B
wH’
body of the dam
U2
Hw U1

12
UPLIFT PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION FOR
PERFECTLY TIGHT CUTOFF WALLS

h2 h2
h1

When flow from u/s to d/s face is allowed With u/s effective cutoff

h1 h2 h2

  h1

With d/s effective cutoff With an intermediate cutoff

UPLIFT PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION
FOR LESS TIGHT CUTOFF
 LOADS CTD…

Weight of Structure
W = c A
c = 24 kN/m3 in the absence specific data
 Acts through the CG of structure
 Weight of ancillary structures may be included
 LOADS CTD…
Earth and silt pressure
Fs = ½ Kass hs2
Where Ka = (1-sin) / (1+sin)
 = angle of internal friction of material
hs = the sediment depth,,
ss = the submerged unit weight,, and
Ka = the active pressure coefficient,
 HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004
17
Fig 4.6
LOADS CTD…
Wave pressure
 HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004
18
LOADS CTD…
Wave pressure
LOADS ON GRAVITY DAM
 Wave pressure
 Generated by wind
 It is a function of the wave height(hw) which intern a function of the

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

fetch length(F)
hw  0.32 VF  0.763  0.271 F , F  32km
hw  0.32 VF , F  32km

 Pressure
due to wave , is
Pw  2.4 w hw ,
totalforce duetowave 5/3hw
Pw
5 0.375hw
 1 / 2( 2.4 *  w hw ) * hw
3
19
2.4hw
LOADS ON DAM
Seismic pressure
 In case the area is prone to earth quake, allowance be made for
stress due to seismic pressure.

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

 It is equivalent to imparting an acc. To the foundation in the
direction the wave is moving.
 It move in any direction but resolved in to horizontal (αh)and
vertical (αv) component for design purpose. It is given as a
fraction of the gravitational acc.(g),
 Α=(0.1…0.2)*g in extreme case it could rise to 0.3g
 The inertia force Cg acts through the center of gravity of the
dam or block in d/s direction for horizontal acc. And in vertical
direction for vertical acc. 20
 Direction of ga and respective horizontal EQ
force

Reservoire full
Reservoir empty

Earthquake Direction

Direction of vibraion

Under reservoir full conditions the most adverse seismic loading will occur
when a ground shock is associated with:
• Horizontal foundation acceleration operating upstream, and
• Vertical foundation acceleration operating downward
EQ INERTIAL FORCES
1. Mass of dam
Horizontal Feqh = ±hW
Vertical Feqv = ±vW
2. Water body
As analyzed by Westerguard(1993)
Py  k ' ' h w H . y
0.816
k" 
2  H 
2
Fewy   h w y H . y k ' ' 1  7.75 
3  1000T 

where k” = earthquake factor for the water body

T = period of earthquake
w = in tone/m3
H, y in meters
The force acts at 0.4y from the dam joint being considered.
For inclined upstream face of dam
Py  k ' ' h w H . y cos 
LOADS ON DAM
Seismic pressure effects
 Vertical acc.
 Upward acc. : It tends to make the foundation close to the dam

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

body, so that increase the effective weight and stress as well
 Downward acc.: opposite effect to upward acc.

 Seismic acc. Impart an inertia force given by:

W
 v , Wisthetota l weight fordam
g
net effective weight is
W g
W   v  W (1  k v ), k v  fraction ( ) 23
g v
LOADS ON DAM
Seismic effect
 Moment about the base

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

4
M e  Pe h  0.424 Pe h h
3
>h/2
 In case where the
upstream face slope
height is greater than half
of the total depth it is h
taken as the slope of the <h/2
u/s face else neglected
Fig 4.8 batter height, u/s slope
24
LOADS ON DAM
 Temperature
 The seasonal temperature change in the reservoir can
propagate in to the dam body 5 to 6m while the daily

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

temperature change can propagate only 20 to 30 cm from the
face, which is insignificant as compared to the very huge
volume concrete mass to create a volumetric change . Even
though it happens it will be taken care by the contraction
joint.
 However, secondary stresses could occur due to the
temperature differentials that could occur due to the ambient
air and temperature variation, solar radiations and air
movements in the openings.
 This may lead to cracks.
25
 ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Example: for the overflow section shown determine the horizontal force due to water
pressure on the u/s face and the dynamic force on the curved. Take: velocity of
approach Va=3m/s, coefficient of discharge of the spill way =2.1, radius of curvature =
as 4m, H1=1.5m, H2=12m,

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

3
• Ha=Va^2/2g = 0.46m
• P1=w(H1+Ha)*(H2) = 201.89kN
• P2 = 0.5w(H2)^2 = 540.78kN
• Z=1/3(H2-H1)(H2+2H1+3Ha)/(H2+H1+2Ha)
• =3.98m
• q= cH3/2 = 3.86 cumec/m
• Consider: h1 and h2 are the respective
thickness of water @ point 1 and 2 and z1 is
2m & z2=0, θ=60 Apply energy equation at
2
v 2
v points 3, 1 and 2.
13.5  2  h cos  
1
1
2
2
h 
2g 2g • By trial and error, h1=0.258m, h2=0.239m
3.86 / h   h  3.86 / h 
2 2
13.5  2  h cos 60 
1
1
2g
2
2
2g
• V1=14.96m/s, v2=16.15m/s 26
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
 The weight of water in the control volume
 W=w(θ/360)2πr(h1+h2)/2

HU IoT Dam engineering lecture note 2004

 =10.21
 Hydrostatic pressure at face bc, F1=0.5wh1^2cos60=0.16kN
 F2=0.5wh2^2=0.28kN
 ΣFH=w/g*q(V2h-V1hcos60)=33.47
 0.16cos60-0.28+PH’=33.47
 PH’=33.67kN downstream

 ΣFv=w/g*q(v2v-v1v)= (3.86)(0-14.96*sin60)=50.01kN

 Pv’-0.16*sin60-W=50.01 27
 Pv’=60.36kN upward on the d/s surface
 LOAD COMBINATION FOR DESIGN
Loads with reasonable probability need to be considered
I. Load combination A (construction condition or empty reservoir condition):
Dam completed but no water in the reservoir and no tail water.

II. Load combination B (Normal operating condition): Full reservoir elevation

(or top of gates at crest), normal dry weather tail water, normal uplift, ice and
uplift (if applicable)

III. Load combination C (Flood Discharge condition): Reservoir at maximum

flood pool elevation, all gates open, tail water at flood elevation, normal
uplift, and silt (if applicable)

IV. Load combination D - Combination A, with earthquake.

V. Load combination E - Combination B, with earthquake but no ice
VI. Load Combination F - Combination C, but with extreme uplift (drain
inoperative)
VII. Load Combination G - Combination E, but with extreme uplift (drain
inoperative)