DAMS

Engineering Hydrology

Dr. Rallapalli Srinivas, Assistant Professor, BITS

Pilani (India)
Dams
• Dam is a solid barrier constructed at a suitable location
across a From 1992 there was over 10 thousand dams
worldwide. About 500 dams are being creating every year,
which exceed 15metres in height. (Jiles and Spencer, 1995).
Storage of water is utilized for following objectives:
• Hydropower
• Irrigation
• Water for domestic consumption
• Drought and flood control
• For navigational facilities
• Other additional utilization is to develop fisheries
Some videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztM6tL6LtFs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyvzvVAOrlU
• 3 Gorges dam in China effecting earth’s rotation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyrlmar501c
Structure of Dam
Crest Down stream
Upstream
Spillway
MWL
Max. level (inside dam)

NWL
Normal
water level

Free board
Sluice way

Gallery

Heel
Toe
Dam body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emWY6KEhCCc
• Heel: contact with the ground on the upstream side

• Toe: contact on the downstream side

• Abutment: Sides of the valley on which the structure of the dam rest

• Galleries: small rooms like structure left within the dam for checking operations.

• Diversion tunnel: Tunnels are constructed for diverting water before the
construction of dam. This helps in keeping the river bed dry.

• Spillways: It is the arrangement near the top to release the excess water of the
reservoir to downstream side

• Sluice way: An opening in the dam near the ground level, which is used to clear
the silt accumulation in the reservoir side.
Structure of dam
Structure of dam
 Selection of DAM site
• Topography
• Geology and foundation conditions
• Materials of construction
• Spillway size and location
• Roadway
• Length and height of dam
• Life of dam
• Foundation
• Site for spillway
• Materials
• Reservoir and catchment area
• Communication
• Locality
 Classification
—According to use
~ Storage Dam – to compound water to its upstream side during periods of
excess supply in the river and is used in periods of deficient supply. Example:
Gravity dams, Earth dam, rock-fill dam and Arch dam etc.
~ Diversion Dam – rises water level slightly in the river slightly and thus
provides head for diverting water into ditches, canals etc. Example: Weirs and
Barrages
~Detention Dam – to store water during floods and release it gradually at
a safe rate, when the flood recedes. Example: Dike, water spreading dams.
In a multipurpose river valley project, the dam may serve the purpose of
storage, flood protection and recreation.
— According to Hydraulic design
~ Non-overflow dam – top of the dam is kept at a higher elevation
than the maximum expected high flood level. Example: Gravity dams,
Earth dam, rock-fill dam and Arch dam etc.

~ Overflow dam – designed to carry surplus discharge over its crest.

Crest is kept lower than the top of the other portion of the dam.
Example: Spillways

— According to Material
~ Rigid dams – constructed of rigid materials such as masonry,
concrete, steel or timber. Example: Gravity dams, and Arch dam etc.

~ Non-rigid dam – constructed of non rigid materials like earth

and/or rock fill. Example: Earth dam, rock-fill dam
Types of DAM
Gravity Dams
External forces are resisted by self – weight of the dam. It is
most permanent and most commonly used and is
constructed either of masonry or concrete.

Advantages
— Relatively more stronger than earth dams
— Well adapted for use as an overflow spillway crest
— Can be constructed of any height, suitable
provided foundation is provided
— Specially suited to areas where heavy downpours
occur
— Requires least maintenance
— Failure is not sudden
— Cheaper in long run
 Disadvantages
—Constructed only on sound rock
foundations
—Initial cost is high
—If mechanized plants, such as manufacturing and
transporting mass concrete, curing of concrete etc. are
not available, a gravity dam may take more time to
construct
—Require skilled labour or mechanized plants for
construction
—Difficult to allow subsequent rise in height unless specific
provisions have been made in the initial design.
Gravity dam
 • Bhakra Dam is the highest
Concrete Gravity dam in
Asia and Second Highest in
the world.

• Bhakra Dam is across river

Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh

• The construction of this

project was started in the
year 1948 and was
completed in 1963 .
• It is 740 ft. high above the deepest foundation as straight concrete dam being more than three times
the height of Qutab Minar.
• Length at top 518.16 m (1700 feet); Width at base 190.5 m (625 feet), and at the top is 9.14 m (30
feet)
• Bhakra Dam is the highest Concrete Gravity dam in Asia and Second Highest in the world.
 Steel dams
Constructed with a frame work of steel with a thin skin plate
as deck slab on the upstream slab
Advantage
—Greater speed and cheaper
—Stresses are more determinate
—Greater flexibility to resist unequal settlement without excessive
leakage
—Not affected by frost action and repairs can be easily done
by welding
Disadvantage
—Lighter – not adaptable to absorb shock from vibrations
—Requires greater and more constant maintenance
 Timber dams
Constructed of framework of timber struts and beams, with
timber planks to resist water pressure.
Advantage
—Low initial cost
—Suitable for any type of foundation
—Where only temporary dams are to be constructed they are
most suitable
—Greater speed in construction can be achieved
Disadvantages
—High maintenance cost
—Life is short
—Suitable only for small heights
 Earth and Rock fill dams
Made of locally available soils and gravels.
Advantage
—Can be constructed on any type of foundation
—Can be constructed rapidly with unskilled labour
—Cheaper and can be subsequently raised in height
Disadvantage
—Vulnerable to damage by floods and fail suddenly
—Cannot be used as overflow dams
—Not suitable at the location where heavy downpour is
more common
—Heavy maintenance cost and constant supervision
Buttress Dam:

• Buttress Dam – Is a gravity

dam reinforced by
structural supports
• Buttress - a support that
transmits a force from a
roof or wall to another
supporting structure

This type of structure can be considered even if the foundation

rocks are little weaker
Arch Dams:
• These type of dams are
concrete or masonry dams
which are curved or convex
upstream in plan

• This shape helps to transmit the

major part of the water load to
the abutments

• Arch dams are built across

narrow, deep river gorges
(narrow valley with steep, rocky
walls located between hills or
mountains), but now in recent
years they have been
considered even for little wider
valleys.
Earth Dams:
• They are trapezoidal in
shape
• Earth dams are constructed
where the foundation or
the underlying material or
rocks are weak to support
the masonry dam or where
the suitable competent
rocks are at greater depth.
• Earthen dams are relatively
smaller in height and broad
at the base
• They are mainly built with
clay, sand and gravel,
hence they are also known
as Earth fill dam or Rock fill
dam
• “60% of total stream flow is regulated by dams and
reservoirs for flood control” (Jiles and Spencer, 1995).

• This is due to flood peaks being reduced, and the uniformity

in base flow being increased throughout.
40% of rivers in Africa, Europe, North America were stabilized by dams.
Below is a map showing the Europe dams.

Map taken from http//www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/freshwater_Europe/images/

eurodam.jpg
There is a reduction as the naturally eroding
Cliffs now have basal protection. (Less fluvial
Inputs).

Deposition location has changed, sediment

Is no longer built up in wetlands. Resulting in less
Erosion in drainage basins.
Dams are needed in places of permanent
Drought. To act as barriers to hold drinking
Water.
 Provide Electricity for the community
Roll on Columbia By Beth Gibson http://members.aol.com/Gibson0817/river.htm

Columbia and Snake River supply 63% of hydro electric energy

Grand Coulee when built provided work after great depression
Brought cheap electricity to the area
Helped with the war effort
Later Industry moved to Pacific west because of

cheap energy supply

http://www.deniskingphoto.com/coulee_dam/coulee_dam3.html
Forces acting on a gravity dam
— Water pressure
— Weight of dam
— Uplift pressure
— Pressure due to
earthquake
— Ice pressure
— Wave pressure
— Silt pressure
 Water Pressure
•Major external force acting on the dam. Intensity of water
pressure acting horizontally varies triangularly, with a zero
intensity at the water surface, to a value w H at any depth
h below water surface.
•Resultant pressure – horizontal & vertical
components
•Horizontal force P = w H2 /2 acting at H/3
from base Vertical force P1 = weight of water
contained
Weight of dam
—It is the major resisting force.
—For analysis purposes generally unit length of the dam is
considered.
—The cross – section of the dam may be divided into
several triangles and rectangles, and the weights of each
of these are computed.
—The total weight W of the dam acts at the C.G. of its
section.
Uplift pressure
—Uplift pressure is the upward pressure of water as it
flows or seeps through the body of the dam or its
foundation.
—Criteria for design
—Uplift pressure in body – intensity exceeding the
tailwater pressure by one-third the difference between
reservoir level and tailwater level.
—It is assumed that uplift pressure are not affected by
earthquakes
The research on the dam which includes a number of experiments done on
dams across the world shows that in general, the presence of a drainage gallery
reduces the uplift pressure by over 60 percent compared to a non-drained case.
Considering this fact, the center of gravity gives a very reasonable approximation.
Design of gravity dam
• For the gravity dam given below, check the stability.
In the reservoir full condition, considering weight of
the dam, uplift pressure and water pressure.
 Home work problem
Design the gravity dam and check its stability against tension, overturning, sliding.
Assume that forces acting are water pressure, uplift pressure and self-weight.
Density of concrete = 2400 Kg/m3
Take unit weight of water as 10KN/m3.
The dotted lines in the diagram represents a drainage gallery.
Thank you