CE 111

Hydraulic Engineering

DAMS

Cornelio Q. Dizon
Assistant Professor
Institute of Civil Engineering
University of the Philippines
 What is a Dam?
A dam is a structure built across a stream, river or estuary to retain
water.

Dams are made from a variety of materials such as concrete,

earth, rock, steel and timber.
 DAMS
• The first dam for which there are reliable records was built on the
Nile River sometime before 4000 B.C. It was used to divert the Nile
and provide a site for the ancient city of Memphis.
•The oldest dam still in use is the Almanza Dam in Spain, which
was constructed in the sixteenth century.
• The failure of a dam may cause serious loss of life and property;
consequently, the design and maintenance of dams are commonly
under government surveillance.
• In the US, the failure of the Teton Dam in Idaho in June 1976
added to the concern for dam safety. Since then, numerous studies
have been initiated to define design criteria for dams and to develop
risk–based analysis methods for application to dam safety
evaluation.
• This involves quantifying uncertainties using a probabilistic
approach and may prove to be particularly helpful in delineating
priorities among existing dams that require rehabilitation
 Dam Failure

Teton Dam, Idaho

June 5, 1976: the failure in the Teton Dam led to flooding in the
cities of Sugar City and Reburg in Idaho. The dam failure killed 14
people and caused over $1 billion in property damages.

The dam failed because the bedrock was not strong enough to
support the structure. Currently the dam is once again used for
hydroelectric power.
 Dam Failure

Folsom Dam, USA

July 17, 1995 : a spillway gate of Folsom Dam failed, increasing

flows into the American River significantly. The spillway was
repaired and the USBR carried out an investigation of the water
flow patterns around the spillway using numerical modelling.

No flooding occured as a result of the partial failure, but flooding

is still a major concern for this area. It seems that the Folsom Dam
may be due for a height increase as an answer to this concern
 Dam Failure

Tailing Dam at Aznalcollar Mine, Spain

April 25, 1998: the tailings dam at the Aznalcollar

mine near Sevilla, Spain failed. This has had BIG
social implications -- the toxic waste has killed
many fish and birds and flooded thousands of
hectacres of farmland.

February 26, 1999 marks the 27th anniversary of the failure of another
tailings dam on Buffalo Creek, West Virginia. 125 peoople were killed
and 4,000 were left without homes. The dam failure was compounded
by the fact that it was waste that was escaping; the waste caught fire
and an explosion eventually occured.
Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam

Type: Concrete Gravity Dam

Cost: Official cost $25bn - actual
cost believed to be much higher
Work began: 1994
Due for completion: 2009
Power generation: 26 turbines on
left and right sides of dam. Six
underground turbines planned for
2010
Power capacity: 19,000
megawatts
Reservoir: 660km long,
submerging 632 sq km of land.
When fully flooded, water will be
175m above sea level
Navigation: Two-way lock system
became operational in 2004.
One-step ship elevator due to
open in 2009.
Three Gorges Dam

Sluice Gates
 Three Gorges Dam

Shipping Locks

Shipping Locks
Hoover Dam
 Hoover Dam
Location: Arizona and Nevada, USA
Completion Date: 1936
Cost: $165 million
Reservoir Capacity: 1.24 trillion cubic feet
Type: Arch Dam
Purpose: Hydroelectric power/flood control
Reservoir: Lake Mead
Materials: Concrete
Engineers: Bureau of Reclamation

The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch dam. Lake Mead

pushes against the dam, creating compressive forces
that travel along the great curved wall. The canyon
walls push back, counteracting these forces. This
action squeezes the concrete in the arch together,
making the dam very rigid. This way, Lake Mead can't
push it over.

Today, the Hoover Dam is the second highest dam in

the country and the 18th highest in the world. It
generates more than four billion kilowatt-hours a
year, that's enough to serve 1.3 million people!
 Classification of Dams
Classification based on function
 Storage Dam
 Detention Dam
 Diversion Dam
 Coffer Dam

Classification based on hydraulic design

 Overflow Dam
 Non-Overflow Dam

Classification based on material of construction

Rigid Dam
Non Rigid Dam
Classification based on structural behavior
Gravity Dam
Arch Dam
 Buttress Dam
 Embankment Dam
Types of Dams based on Structural Design

• Dams are classified on the basis of the type and materials of

construction such as (1) gravity, (2) arch, (3) buttress, and (4)
embankment.
• The first three types are usually constructed of concrete and the
fourth type is of earth material.

1. Gravity Dam
- depends on its own weight for stability.
- usually straight in plan though sometimes slightly curved.
2. Arch Dam
- transmit most of the horizontal thrust of the water behind
them to the abutments by arch action.
- have thinner cross sections than gravity dams.
- can be used only in narrow canyons where the walls are
capable of withstanding the thrust produced by the arch
section.
3. Buttress Dam
- consists of a sloping membrane that transmits the water
load to a series of buttresses at right angles to the axis of
the dam.
- the simplest of the many types of buttress dams is the
slab type, which consists of sloping flat slabs supported
at intervals by buttresses.
4. Embankment Dam
- constructed of earth and/or rock with provision for
controlling seepage by means of an impermeable core or
upstream blanket.

• More than one type of dam may be included in a single structure.

• Curved dams may combine both gravity and arch action to
achieve stability.
• Long dams often have a concrete river section containing spillway
and sluice gates and earth or rock-fill wing dams for the remainder
of their length.
 Panoramic Views of Dams

Tarbela Dam: Earth and Rockfill Warsak Dam: Gravity

Dam dam

Mangla Dam: Earthfill

 Panoramic Views of Dams

Gordon Dam: Arch Hoover Dam: Arch Dam

Dam
 Panoramic Views of Dams

Hume Dam: Buttress Coolidge Dam: Buttress

dam dam

Le Prele Dam: Buttress dam

Itaipu Dam: Buttress dam
Gravity Dam

Gravity dams are dams which resist

the horizontal thrust of the water
entirely by their own weight.
Gravity Dam

Material of Construction:
Concrete, Rubble Masonry
 Arch Dam

An arch dam is a curved dam

which is dependent upon arch
action for its strength.

Arch dams are thinner and

therefore require less
material than any other
type of dam.

Arch dams are good for sites

that are narrow and have
strong abutments.
Arch Dam

Material of Construction:
Concrete
 Buttress Dam

Buttress dams are dams in which the

face is held up by a series of
supports.

The hydrostatic force is resisted

by a slab that transmits the load
to buttresses perpendicular to
the dam axis.
Buttress dams can take many
forms - the face may be flat or
curved.
Buttress Dam

Material of Construction:
Concrete, Timber, Steel
Embankment Dam

Embankment dams are massive

dams made of earth or rock.

They rely on their weight to

resist the flow of water.
Embankment Dam

Material of Construction:
Earth, Rock
• The selection of the best type of dam for a given site is a problem
in both engineering feasibility and cost.
•Feasibility is governed by topography, geology, the availability of
materials and hydrology.
• Low rolling plains would suggest an earth-fill dam, whereas a
narrow valley with high rock walls would suggest a structure or a
rock-fill dam.
• Good rock foundations are excellent for all types of dams, while
gravel foundations are for earth-fill and rock-fill dams. Silt or fine
sand foundations are not suitable for rock-fill, but can be used for
earth-fill dams with flat slopes.
• The relative cost of the various types of dams depends mainly on
the availability of construction materials near the site and the
accessibility of transportation facilities.
• The height of a dam is usually defined as the difference in
elevation between the roadway, or spillway crest, and the lowest
part of the excavated foundation. However, figures quoted for
heights of dams are often determined in other ways.
• Frequently, the height is taken as the net height above the old
river bed.
 Factors Governing the Selection of Dam Type
Topography-Valley Shape

 A Narrow V-Shaped Valley : Arch Dam

 A Narrow or Moderately with U-Shaped Valley : Gravity/Buttress
Dam
 A Wide Valley : Embankment Dam

Geology and Foundation Condition

 Solid Rock Foundation : All types

 Gravel and Coarse Sand Foundation : Embankment/Concrete
Gravity Dam
 (H≤15 m)
 Silt and Fine Sand Foundation : Embankment/Gravity Dam (H≤8 m)
 Non-Uniform Foundation : -
 Other Factors Governing the Selection of Dam Type
Climate conditions
Availability of construction materials
Spillway size and location
Environmental considerations
Earthquake zone
Overall cost
General considerations

• The hydrology of the area will influence the diversion of the river
streamflows during construction and construction time.
• If the dam is located in a seismic-prone area, the horizontal and
the vertical components of the earthquake acceleration on the dam
must be considered in the analysis of dam stability.