RUBBER DAM

GUIDE
SANKARANARAYANAN K M.
ASST. PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

PRESENTED BY
ZEETH K V
ROLL NO: 7
S1 M.TECH SE
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
Contents 2

What is rubber dam

Selection of a Rubber dam site
Construction of Rubber dam
Operation mechanism(Automatic control mechanism)
Types of damages and repairing techniques
Analysis
New types of rubber dams
Rubber Dam Applications
Future plan of work in India
Why Rubber Dam ? 3

Indias per capita water storage Better control of flood and draught.

Increase of per capita water storage capacity and

water use efficiency

Easy installation

Lower investment cost ( about 40%) than the

conventional gated regulating structure

Ground re-charging

Other purposes: irrigation, water supply, power

generation, tidal barrier ,environmental
improvement.
 What is rubber dam? 4

Basically rubber dams are fabric reinforced rubber bags, which can be inflated
or deflated by water or air. The fabric gives the necessary strength where as
rubber acts as a shock absorber and water proofing material.

It function as a reliable crest-adjustable water gate.

Construction of Rubber dam

1. Concrete base slab & side walls

2. Anchorage
3. Dam bag /Membrane
4. Water or air filling & draining system/Control system
Selection of a suitable dam site: 5

In the site selection following conditions

should be considered:

Straight section
Smooth Flow
Riverbed and Bank slopes are stable.
Geological
Hydrologic
Meteorological
hydraulic conditions

It is better to carry out the construction of civil

works related to the rubber dam in a dry season
Rubber dam section: 6

Rubber dam

Concrete structure

Anchoring

This figure shows how rubber body is secured to a concrete foundation by

its anchor line.
Construction of Rubber dam: 7
Concrete Base Slab:

Concrete slab is provided as a base for rubber construction.

The side walls of the dam should be vertical or inclined
Anchorage: 8

Dams are secured to the concrete foundations using a single or dual core clamping
plates
Plates are clamped to the membrane using anchor bolts
 9

Use single anchor in Air-filled rubber

dam to avoid the contact between base
slab and filled air

Use double anchors in Water-filled

rubber dam to handle the additional
pressure and weight of filled water
Dam bag /Membrane: 10

The rubber dam body is a membrane of rubberized fabric, which is composed of layers of
synthetic rubber and layers of synthetic fiber reinforcement that are firmly bonded
together by vulcanization.
Physical-mechanical properties of the dam membrane are given by
1. tensile strength
2. elasticity and flexibility
3. ozone-resistance
4. abrasion-resistance
5. weather-resistance
6. specific life strength
7. high-temperature and low-temperature resistance
Operation mechanisms: 11

Inflation:
An air blower or water pump and
ancillary devices such as valves are used
to inflate the air or water filled dam
respectively.
Deflation:
There are three types of deflation
systems: bucket, float, and electrical.
Safety systems:
An air blow-off tank(air-filled dam)
and siphon pipe(water-filled dam)
can be used as a safety device in case
principal deflation mechanism fails
Inflation Procedure 12

Inspect the upstream side, ensuring that neither people nor property will be
adversely affected by raising the upstream water level.

Remove debris (especially sharp objects) adjacent to the rubber dam

Close the air exhaust valve.

Open the air supply valve

Start the air compressor.

Monitor the air pressure gauge while inflating the dam

Deflation Procedure 13
Inspect the downstream side, ensuring that neither people nor property will
be adversely affected by raising the downstream water level

Make sure the downstream side of the dam foundation is free of sharp
objects and other obstructions that may damage the dam body during
deflation

Open the drainpipe to drain the condensed water

Open the air exhaust valve to deflate the dam.

Inflation/Deflation time 14

The inner volume of the dam body

The external pressure acting on the dam

body

The capacity of the air compressor or water

pump.
Automatic control mechanism: 15

A pressure sensor is used to

monitor the inner pressure of the
dam body.
The inlet of air/water to the dam
body is cut off automatically
when inner pressure reaches the
preset level.
A laser height measuring device
can be installed inside the dam
body.
A sensor monitors water level.
The exhaust valve is opened
automatically as deflation level is
reached.
Inflation and deflation of a rubber Dam: 16

Bridgestone Inflatable /Deflated Dam on Susquehanna River at Sunbury,

Pennsylvania
Demo video 17
Characteristics: 18
Water filled rubber dam:

Advantages
The weight of the water-filled dam prevents vibrations.
The entire height of the dam rises or lowers evenly.

Weaknesses
More expensive construction: a wider concrete sill, more expensive water
pumps, more expensive pipelines due to a bigger diameter of pipes.
Manipulation takes more time (filling up and emptying the weir).
Freezing of the weir (the possibility of water freezing in the system).
 19
Air filled rubber dam:

Advantages
Faster lowering and raising of the weir.
Cheaper construction.
Lower power consumption.

Weaknesses
Vibrations of the weir.
Uneven emptying of the weir (sinking of the Centre of the weir).
Vandalism (puncturing, cutting).
Reducing vibration and abrasion: 20

Measures to reduce vibration

Fin structure
Semi-circle shape
Double-line anchoring
Hose Spacers
Types of damages and repairing technique 21

Small Puncture (Bullet hole)

Remove the object that causes the puncture

from the dam body

Insert sealing plug into the puncture hole.

Test for air leakage by spreading soapy

water over the repaired area. The repair is
successful if no bubbles appear

Cut off the end of the sealing plug.

 22
Surface Damage

Cut off the outer surface of the damaged area.

Fill self-vulcanizing rubber into the damaged area after cleaning and
drying.

Smooth outer surface by removing protruding rubber materials.

Small-Area Damage 23

Cut off the outer rubber

around the damaged area at
approximately 45.

Buff the cut surface, then

clean and dry it.

Apply cement two times to the cut surface, the second coat applied after the
first coat has dried.

Apply cement to a piece or several pieces of filler rubber and then patch the
filler rubber onto the cut surface after the cement has dried.

Apply cement to a piece of reinforced fabric and patch it onto the filler
rubber after the cement dries.
 Large-Area Damage 24

Follow Small-Area damage

repairing technique

Patch the inner side of the damaged area

with a piece of reinforced fabric.
Analysis of Inflatable Dams using
Dynamic Relaxation method 25

Fext Fin = M v* + D v
Discharge Calculation 26

Discharge operation

Normal water retaining

Slow dam fall

Complete dam fall

Use of a rubber dam in Hydro Power Plant: 27

Power of a hydroelectric power plant depends also on the speed of the

river and that the power expressed in percentage increases more at the
rivers where the fall is smaller.

The percentage of the increase of the power is calculated in the following

way:

%P = the percentage of the increase of power in a hydroelectric plant

h2 = the height of the increase of the fall in a hydroelectric power plant
h1 = the initial height of the fall in a hydroelectric power plant
Rubber Dams: 28

Tin Shui Wai Rubber Dam Hong Kong Rubber weirs at the river Sava in Kranj

SAVATECH

Janjhavathi Rubber Dam (India)

irrigates 24,000 acres
 New types of rubber dams: 29

Rubber dam with inspection gallery: Some large dams of Bridgestone and
Sumitomo have an inspection gallery . An access door and air-lock system are
provided to allow entry into the dam when its in the inflated mode.

Rubber dams with different deflation modes: New types can deflate in both
the upstream and downstream directions according to the direction of flow or
deflate directly onto the foundation.

Innovative fish-way: The rubber dam can be incorporated into a fish-way.

Rubber dam: New hope for farmers? 30

Impact of Rubber Dam on crop

productivity of summer vegetables at
Baghamari,Orissa.

S.NO. Productivity(t/ha)
Before After
Installation installation of
of Rubber Rubber Dam
Dam(2009) (2010 )
1. 2.873 4.67

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION PROJECT Click here for

Rubber Dam Applications: 31

HYDRO POWER Project: Rainbow Dam WATER SUPPLY Project : Gubeng Dam
Country: USA Size: 3.66Hx67.7L Country : Indonesia Size : 2.85Hx12.0L

GROUND RECHARGING Project : Alameda

Country : USA Size : 3.96Hx88.8L TIDAL BARRIER Project : Naruse River
Country : Japan Size : 2.3Hx42.1L
Rubber Dam Applications 32
Purpose Dam/Project Name Country Height (m) Width (m)

Groundwater recharge Sonoma Dam USA 3.3 36.9

Hydropower Glenford dam Canada 1.7 74.7

Irrigation Lamchi Muang Ling Dam Thailand 4 73

Increasing reservoir
Mirani Weir Australia 1.8 107.3
capacity
Navigation Tsudae Dam Japan 1.5 20
Recreation Shin Chon Dam Korea 1.5 50.65
Rehabilitation Vaca Dam Philippines 2.0 13.3
Drinking water Altoona Dam USA 1.53 35.7

Flow control (sewerage) Ichioka Sewerage Plant Japan 1.1 6.5

Taiwan,
Flood control Shing Chu River Dam 1.6 8
China
Tidal barrier Naruse River Japan 2.3 42.1
 Future plan of work in India: 33

Gujarat's first rubber dam to be built over Tapi at Rundh. Source: The times of India, Surat.
Expert team inspects site for rubber dam in Pampa River. Source: The Hindu Kerala.

First rubber dam in India is being built in Andhra Pradesh, over the Janjhavathi river in
Vizianagaram district.

SEVERAL STATES including Jharkhand and West Bengal, have shown interest in rubber
dams. Jharkhand Water Resources Department officials said that they have approached
Hydroconstruct to build a dam. Source: Tehelka.com

Installation and evaluation of Rubber Dams at various watersheds at Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.

The steel industrial kerala limited a public sector company, has entered into an agreement
with an australian firm(hydro construct) for the construction of rubber dams in kerala. Source:
The times of India, Thiruvananthapuram.
Conclusion: 34

A flexible way to manage water?

Hi-tech Rubber dams could be the

answer.
References: 35

P. Roy Choudhury, S. K. Chakraborty, Manasi Nath, Rubber Dam a novel

approach for control of water flow in watershed management for agricultural
growth of India published in Rubber India, vol LX, No 8, pg 49, August 2008
http://www.hydroconstruct.at/
Bridgestone Corporation. 1997. Rubber dam: inflatable rubber weir. Tokyo,
Japan.
P. Roy Choudhury, Manasi Nath, Bhagabat Bhuyan Design and
Development of Rubber Dam a farmer friendly Rubber reservoir, published
in Rubber Chem Review, vol XXXVII No 6, pg 29, July- August 2008.

X Q Zhang, P W.M Tam, W Zheng ,Construction, operation and maintenance of

rubber dams , Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering Volume 29, Number 3, June
2002.
Karl-Heinz John, Michael Tiegelkamp, IEC 61131-3:Programming Industrial
Automation Systems, Springer.
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Thank You