CVEN30010 Systems Modelling and Design

Lectures 8-1 & 8-2

Embankment Dams

Olga Mikhaylova
Infrastructure Engineering Department
 We are going to talk about

1. Types of embankment dams

2. Design considerations

3. Seepage through an embankment dam

12
1. Types of embankment dams

13
On-stream reservoir

On-stream storage reservoir formed

by a dam across a valley

FAOs Irrigation Water Management: Training Manual No. 6

14
Embankment dam
Takhtakorpu Water Storage
Reservoir in Azerbaijan Republic

http://evrascon.com

15
Embankment dam
Takhtakorpu Water Storage
Reservoir in Azerbaijan Republic
The reservoir:
268 million m3 of water

The earth dam:

gravelly sand with a clay core
0.5 million m3 of soil
1,180 m long
135.5 (142.5) m in height
the highest dam in Europe

Built in 2014

http://evrascon.com

16
Types of embankment dams

Homogeneous dam

Bureau of Reclamation (1987)

17
 Types of embankment dams

Modified homogeneous dam:

with rockfill toe

Bureau of Reclamation (1987)

18
 Types of embankment dams

Modified homogeneous dam:

with horizontal drainage blanket

Bureau of Reclamation (1987)

19
 Types of embankment dams

Modified homogeneous dam:

with chimney drain

Bureau of Reclamation (1987)

20
 Types of embankment dams

Modified homogeneous dam:

with horizontal drainage blanket
and cut-off trench

MOWD (1992)

21
Types of embankment dams

Zoned dam

permeability
Low

MOWD (1992)

22
2. Design considerations

23
 Design considerations

1. Safety against overtopping. This is a

function of the spillway capacity and
freeboard

http://hydropedia.blogspot.com.au

24
 Design considerations

1. Safety against overtopping. This is a

function of the spillway capacity and
freeboard

2. Stability. The stability of the slopes should

be considered for the case of construction,
steady state and rapid drawdown.

3. Safety against internal erosion. The

selection of material for the downstream shell
and the design of internal drainage blanket
and toe drain address this aspect

25
Types of embankment dams

Zoned dam

permeability
Low

MOWD (1992)

26
 Design considerations

1. Safety against overtopping. This is a

function of the spillway capacity and
freeboard

2. Stability. The stability of the slopes should

be considered for the case of construction,
steady state and rapid drawdown.

3. Safety against internal erosion. The

selection of material for the downstream shell
and the design of internal drainage blanket
and toe drain address this aspect

4. Functional performance in terms of

excessive seepage. The design of the cut-
off and impervious core address this aspect.
27
Types of embankment dams

Zoned dam

permeability
Low

MOWD (1992)

28
 Design considerations

1. Safety against overtopping. This is a Addressed in

function of the spillway capacity and the Brief
freeboard

2. Stability. The stability of the slopes should Addressed in

be considered for the case of construction, the Brief
steady state and rapid drawdown.
Has to be
3. Safety against internal erosion. The
considered in
selection of material for the downstream shell the conceptual
and the design of internal drainage blanket design
and toe drain address this aspect

4. Functional performance in terms of Has to be

considered in
excessive seepage. The design of the cut- the conceptual
off and impervious core address this aspect. design

29
3. Seepage through an embankment
dam

30
 Phreatic surface

Phreatic surface

Unconfined seepage

The top boundary of the flow region has atmospheric

pressure Phreatic surface

Phreatic surface is a flow line

As a first step, position of the phreatic surface must

be estimated After Handy (2007)

31
 Phreatic surface

Phreatic surface

Phreatic surface was empirically

investigated by Arthur Casagrande

He found that the phreatic surface can be

approximated as a parabola

This is an analytical method later proposed

by Jepson Arthur Casagrande
After Handy (2007) (1902 1981)

32
Phreatic surface rules

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

33
Phreatic surface rules

The only head along the phreatic

surface is the elevation head

Equal drops at the points where

successive equipotentials meet
the phreatic surface

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

34
Phreatic surface rules

The upstream slope is an

equipotential line

The phreatic line is normal to the

upstream slope

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

35
Phreatic surface rules

Coarse material is at upstream

face of the slope

The upstream equipotential is the

downstream boundary of the
coarse material

The phreatic line is normal to the

upstream equipotential

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

36
Phreatic surface rules

At the downstream end, water

particles follow direction of
gravity

The phreatic line is tangential to

the downstream slope at the exit

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

37
Phreatic surface rules

At the downstream end, water

particles follow direction of
gravity

The phreatic line has vertical

exist conditions at the rock toe

From Venkataramaiah (2006)

38
 Flow nets for embankment dams

1. Draw phreatic surface

2. Select number of drops and

draw equipotential lines using
rule (a)

3. Draw flow net following general

flow net rules (see Lecture 4-2)

4. Seepage through the dam can = total flow rate, m3/s

be calculated as = permeability or hydraulic
conductivity, m/s
= = number of equipotential
drops
= number of flow channels

39
 Example

= 5
=
= 5
= 105 /
= = 15 105 3 /
= 15
SoilMech_Ch10_Flow_Nets

40
 Additional reading & example

1. Powrie, W. (2014). Soil mechanics: concepts and applications.

CRC Press (Available as a e-book in the unimelb library)

Sections 3.12
Solved example: 3.9

41
 Conclusions

1. There are several types of embankment dams.

2. The main design considerations of embankment

dams are
Safety against overtopping
Stability
Safety against internal erosion
Functional performance

3. Seepage through embankment dams is unconfined

and a phreatic surface location must be determine
first when a flow net is constructed

42
 Copyright The University of Melbourne 2011