Embankment dam spillways and

energy dissipators
by Prof. Hubert CHANSON
The University of Queensland, School of Civil Engineering, Brisbane QLD 4072,
Australia, E-mail: h.chanson@uq.edu.au
Glashutte dam, 22 Aug. 2002

Clermont MEL
weir in 1993
 Spillway Designs for Embankment Overtopping
System and Earth Dams
Introduction

Embankment failure & breach development

Minimum Energy Loss weirs

Embankment overflow stepped spillways

Precast concrete blocks

Gabions & Reno mattresses

Design considerations
CHANSON, H. (2014). "Embankment Dam Spillways and Energy Dissipators." in "Labyrinth and Piano Key
Weirs II - PKW 2013." Proceedings of 2nd International Workshop on Labyrinth and Piano Key Weirs -
PKW 2013, 20-22 Nov., Paris-Chatou, France, CRC Press, pp. 23-37 (ISBN 978-1-138-00085-8).
 Sorpe dam, Germany
Introduction
Embankment = earthfill structures

Applications
Dams
River training / Flood protection
Coastal protections
Tsunami barrier
Storm surge barrier
Natural lakes & Landslide dams
Man-made flooding (during wars)
Kyoto, Japan

New Orleans, USA in 2005 (Hurricane Katrina)

Embankments
Earthfill structures Ÿ Erodible systems when overtopped
Levees, Dykes
Dale Dyke dam (UK)
Construction: 1863
Failure: 11 March 1864
(piping, poor construction)
150 lives lost
South Fork dam (USA)
Construction: 1838-1853
Failure: 31 May 1889
(spillway capacity
& construction)
2,209 lives lost
Lake Ha! Ha! (Canada)
Failure: July 1996
(spillway capacity)
Opuha dam (NZ)
Construction: 1996-1999
Failure: 5 February 1997
(outlet capacity)

Opuha Dam Failure on 5 February 1997

Glashutte dam (Germany)
Construction: 1953
Failure: 12 August 2002
(spillway capacity)
Downstream flooding and damage
Images courtesy of Dr Bornschein
Embankment failure & breach development
Embankment failure = dam break but ….
Relatively slow failure process
Teton dam (USA, 100 m high) 12 h to drain reservoir (1976)

Zeyzoun dam (Syria) breach opening = 3 ½ h (2002)

Glashutte dam (Germany) 4 hours overtopping +

breach opening = 30 min (2002)
Zeyzoun Dam Failure on 4 June 2002
Embankment breach development & inlet shape

Sequence of 8 shots within 20 s – Non-cohesive embankment overtopping model

 Natural scour = similarity with MEL inlet
(McKAY 1970, CHANSON 2003 JHE)

Saaiplaas tailings failure in 1993

Island of Capri canal

Merriespruit tailings dam failure in

1994 (Courtesy of Pr A. FOURIE)
 Analogy with Minimum Energy Loss (MEL) culvert inlet

MEL culvert at Redcliffe (Australia)

CHANSON, H. (2004). "Overtopping Breaching of Noncohesive Homogeneous Embankments. Discussion." Journal of

Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 130, No. 4, pp. 371-374.
CHANSON, H. (2005). "The 1786 Earthquake-Triggered Landslide Dam and Subsequent Dam-Break Flood on the Dadu
River, Southwestern China. Comment." Geomorphology, Vol. 71, pp.437-440.
 Choctaw 8A auxiliary spillway (USA) in 2002 Brazil

Overflow protection systems

Reinforced grass
Macro-roughness elements
Minimum Energy Loss weir & spillway
Concrete stepped spillway
Precast concrete blocks
Gabion (& Reno mattress) structures
Irago peninsula, Japan Brushes Clough dam, UK in 1993

Crotty dam, Australia, 1991

Overtopping protection - Minimum Energy Loss weirs

Developments in 1950s in Queensland (Australia)

by late Prof Gordon McKay (1913-1989)

Developed to pass large flood flows with minimum afflux

in tropical catchments with very-flat bed slope
Chinchilla MEL weir (1973), Q = 850 m3/s, zero afflux
Basic design features
Smooth flow contraction towards the crest
Critical flow conditions at crest A

Converging chute walls

Energy dissipation in channel centreline

Bank top

Concrete
slab
Earthfill

Section AA

Chinchilla MEL weir (1973), Qdes = 850 m3/s, zero afflux,

ICOLD register listed

View from downstream

(400 m3/s)
U/s water level

D/s water level

Clermont weir (1962/63), Qdes = 850 m3/s
MEL spillway inlet designs
Swanbank power house (1965)
Lake Kurwongbah (850 m3/s, 1958-69)
MEL inlet design allowed extra 0.457 m of water storage
Lake Kurwongbah, Q = 850 m3/s

Swanbank
Prototype experience
Operation for more than 60 years (incl. Q > design flow)
Soundness of design + Little maintenance

There is no better proof of design soundness than successful

prototype experience

Key issue: expert design (Hydraulics expert & Physical modelling)

Major structures
1- Sandy Creek MEL weir (Clermont)
1962/63, 850 m3/s, zero afflux
2- Chinchilla MEL weir
1973, 860 m3/s, zero afflux
large dam with international exposure (ICOLD)
3- Lake Kurwongbah (850 m3/s, 1958-69)
MEL inlet design allowed extra 0.457 m of water storage

CHANSON, H. (2003). "Minimum Energy Loss Structures in Australia : Historical Development and
Experience." Proc. 12th Nat. Eng. Heritage Conf., IEAust., Toowoomba Qld, Australia, N. Sheridan Ed., pp.
22-28 (ISBN 0-646-42775-X).
Embankment overflow concrete stepped spillways
Choctaw 8A auxiliary spillway in 2002

Developments during 1990s

Numerous applications

Secondary & primary spillways

Salado Creek Dam Site 15R

Tongue river dam (USA, 1997) RCC stepped spillway for a detention basin in west Las
Vegas (USACE)

Ashton dam embankment overflow (USA,1989-1992) : h = 0.6 m, l = 0.9 m, Qmax = 690 m3/s (PMF)
 Opuha dam (NZ, 1995-1999) H = 50 m

Melton dam (Australia, 1916/1990s) Q ~ 2,800 m3/s (secondary spillway)

Construction
Concrete layers (RCC/rollcrete suitability)
Protection layer (in some cases)

Drainage layer beneath steps

Supplemented by drainage holes

Overflow hydraulics
Adequate discharge capacity

Skimming flow regime (Design flow)

Downstream dissipator
Embankment with precast concrete block stepped spillways
Russian design under the leadership of P.I. GORDIENKO
Klinbeldin
Overlapping precast concrete bocks

Primary spillway applications

Sosnovsky dam (Photograph by Prof. Yuri PRAVDIVETS)

Farm dam, 1978. H = 11 m. qw = 3.3 m2/s, So = 0.167. B = 12 m
Kolymia (or Kolyma) (Courtesy of Prof. Yuri PRAVDIVETS)
Brushes Clough dam spillway (UK,
1859-1991)
- wedge shaped concrete blocks (120 kg
each)
- Chute slope : 18.4q, h = 0.19 m
- Inclined downward steps (-5.6q)
- Trapezoidal cross-section
(2-m bottom width, 1V:2H sideslope)
- Design flow : 3.66 m3/s, Hdam = 26 m
- Field tests in 1993
 Bolshevik farm dam (1980), H = 11.5 m. qw = 3.3 m2/s, So = 0.12-0.2, B = 12 m

Prototype experiences
Solid record (qw up to 60 m2/s)

High construction standards required

Importance of drainage layer

Flexibility of spillway channel bed

Hydraulics considerations Volymia experimental earth dam (H=20 m) in the Magadan region (Siberia)

* Skimming flow operation

* Straight prismatic cross-sectional channel

* Downstream stilling structure

Gabion & Reno mattress protection
Porous material
no uplift pressure
interactions between seepage
& overflow

Flexible stepped construction

differential settlement
Robina, QLD (Australia)
Duralie, NSW (Australia)

Stacked vs lined placement

Gabion stepped chute

Limited lifetime (5-10 y)

gabion resistance to damage
by sediments and debris
Design considerations – Overflow protection (all systems)
Construction
Stability of earthfill structure is essential
Ÿ Good construction quality & Simple sound design

Drainage of embankment during overflow

Hydraulic Engineering
Discharge capacity estimate
Downstream dissipation structure

Down-to-earth considerations
Human interferences
Vandalism (Brushes Clough; Africa)
Prototype experiences: no better proof of
design soundness than successful prototype operation
No need to re-invent the ‘wheel’
Summary and Conclusion
Embankments & Earthfill structures
ŸErodible systems when overtopped

Overtopping protection systems

Minimum Energy Loss weirs & spillways
Concrete stepped spillways
Precast concrete blocks
Gabion stepped spillways
Macro-roughness elements

Design and Construction must be sound

No better proof of design soundness than successful prototype operation
Learn from successful designs !!!
 Look forward seeing you at the
5th International Symposium on
Hydraulic Structures
25-27June 2014
Full Paper submission deadline: 2 December 2013
 THANK YOU

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