Arch Dams

Translated from the slides of

Prof. Dr. Recep YURTAL (Ç.Ü.)
by his kind courtesy

ercan kahya

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Arch Dams
•  Curved in plan and carry most of the water thrust
horizontally to the side abutments by arch action.

•  A certain percentage of water load is vertically

transmitted to the foundation by cantilever action.

Recep YURTAL
Arch Dams

!
Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.
Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.
 Arch Dams

n  Where & why we design it:

q  Appropriate when “Width / Height of valley” (B/H) < 6

q  Rocks at the base and hillsides should be strong enough
with high bearing capacity.
q  To save in the volume of concrete.
q  Stresses are allowed to be as high as allowable stress of
concrete.
q  Connection to the slope of hillsides should be 45o at least.

Recep YURTAL
 Arch Dams
Base width
Arch Width
Crest Upstream
face

Downstream
face Height
Base
radiousp
width
Toe
Axis

Base
Central angle Downstream
Face

Recep YURTAL
 Arch Dam Types

n  Constant Center Arch Dam (variable angle)

q  Good for U-shaped valleys

q  Easy construction

q  Vertical upstream face

q  Appropriate for middle-high

dams

Recep YURTAL
 Arch Dam Types
n  Variable Center Arch Dams (constant angle)
2

q  Good for V-shaped valleys 4

1

q  Limited to the ratio of B/H=5 3

q  Best center angle: 133o 34´

3-4

q  To obtain arch action at

the bottom parts

1-2

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Arch Dam Types

n  Variable Center –

Variable Angle Arch crest
Dams

q  Combination of the two

above. a a

q  Its calculation based on a a

shell theory applied to
arch dams

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Arch Dam Types
⇐ Upstream

Recep YURTAL
Arch Dams

n  3.6.2 DESIGN OF ARCH DAMS

Structural Design: à Load distribution in the dam body

& beyond scope of this course

q  Independent ring method

q  Trial load method
q  Elasticity theory
q  Shell theory

Recep YURTAL
Arch Dams

n  Hydraulic Design

²  Determination of thickness at any elevation

²  Effect of uplift force – ignored
²  Stresses due to ice & temp changes-important
²  Arch action - near the crest of dam
²  Cantilever action - near the bottom of dam
²  Horizontal hydrostatic pressure is assumed to be
taken by arch action
Arch Dams (design principles)
n  Independent Ring method:

t
t

t/2
t/2 rm rd

O
rm = rd – t/2

Recep YURTAL
 y
Hh Differential force
dFV´
φ dFV
for infinitely small
elemental piece with
p p
center angle of dφ :
t

dφ
R θa φ R dFV = p . r . dφ
x
r
Vertical component:
Ba
ʹ′
dFV = p . r . dφ . Sinφ

Recep YURTAL
 Arch Dams (design principles)
▪ Total horizontal force:
θa
H h = 2γ .h.r . Sin
2
h : height of arch lib from the reservoir surface
r : radius of arch
θa: central angle

▪ Equilibrium of forces in the flow direction (y):

Hh = 2 Ry
Ry: reaction force at the sides in y direction [= R sin (θa/2)]
 y
Hh φ dFV
dFV´
Reaction of the sides (R):
p p
t

dφ
R = γ .h.r
R θa R
Ry
x Ry
φ
θa/2
θa/2 Rx
Rx r
The required thickness of
the rib (t) when t << r :
Ba
σ≈ R/t
γ .h.r
σall : allowable working stress t= σ all
for concrete in compression

Recep YURTAL
Arch Dams (design principles)
The volume of concrete for unit height for a single arch:

V=Lt

L: arch length (L = r θa) (note that θa is in radians)

γ .h 2
V= r θa
σ all
 Arch Dams (design principles)

The required thickness of the rib (t):

n  Pressure p = γ × h: t

t/2
t/2 rm rd
p × rd
t=
σ all O
rm = rd – t/2

Reduction factor for base pressure at arch dams is zero (m=0)

Recep YURTAL
Arch Dams (design principles)

▪ The optimum θa for minimum volume of arch rib:

dV / dθ = 0 à θa = 133o 34’

► This is the reason why the constant-angle dams

require less concrete that the constant-center dams

► Formwork is more difficult

► In practice; 100o < θa < 140o for the constant-angle

dams
 Arch Dams (design principles)
n  Displacement in an arch ring:
rm
δ = σ all
E
E = Concrete elasticity modulus t
rm = Radius from ring axis

t/2
For the relation between t/2 rm rd
center angle (2φ), beam
length (L) & arch radius (r):
L O
r= rm = rd – t/2
2 × Sin φ
Recep YURTAL
Örnek
n  Yüksekliği 120 m olan bir barajın ağırlık ve kemer-ağırlık türünde
yapılması halleri için taban genişliklerini ve birim kalınlıktaki hacimlerini
karşılaştırınız. Barajda taban su basıncı küçültme faktörü 0.8 dir. γb =
2.4 t/m³

Çözüm: Ağırlık baraj için: γb 2.4

γʹ′ = γʹ′ = = 2.4
γw 1.0

b 1 b 1 1
= = b = 120 × b= 95 m.
h γʹ′ − m 120 2.4 − 0.8 2.4 − 0.8

Hacim= 1
120 × 95 × = 5700 m³
2

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

n  Kemer-Ağrlık baraj için:

m=0
bʹ′ 1 1
= bʹ′ = 120 × = 78 m
h γʹ′ 2. 4
120
1
Hacim = 120 × 78 × = 4680 m ³
2
5700 − 4680 95
Hacim azalması : = % 18
5700 78

Ağırlık yerine kemer-ağırlık seçmeyle beton hacminde %18 azalma olacaktır.

Bu seçim ancak yamaçlar yeterince sağlam olduğunda yapılabilir.

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Örnek

n  Yüksekliği 80 m olacak bir sabit yarıçaplı (silindirik)

kemer barajda tabandaki maksimum kemer
kalınlığının, en fazla baraj yüksekliğinin ¼ üne eşit
olması istendiğine gore kemer yarıçapını
hesaplayınız. Kemer halkalarının emniyet gerilmesi
220 t/m², betonun elastisite modülü 2×106 t/m²
olduğuna göre tepede anahtar noktasında ortaya
çıkacak sehimi bulunuz.

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Çözüm
σh
rd = t ×
p

t = h/4 alalım t = 80 / 4 = 20 m :

⎛ h ⎞ σh 1 σ 1 220
p=γ×h rd = ⎜ ⎟ × rd = × h = × = 55 m
⎝ 4 ⎠ (γ × h ) 4 γ 4 1

t 20 rm 45
rm = rd − = 55 − = 45 m δ = σh δ = 220 × = 0.005 m
2 2 E 2 × 10 6

0.5 cm sehim oluşur.

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

Örnek

n  Yüksekliği 100 m ve tepe genişliği 5 m olacak

bir kemer barajın tepeden itibaren 0, 25, 50,
75 ve 100 m derinliklerdeki eksen yarıçapları
sıra ile 95, 80, 63, 58, 50 m dir. Betonun
emniyet gerilmesi 300 t/m² ve elastisite
modülü 2×106 t/m² dir. Her seviyede kemer
halkasının kalınlık ve sehimini bulunuz.

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

 Kemer Barajlar (Hesap Esasları)

n  Bağımsız Halkalar Yöntemi

t
0
25
25 t/2
t/2 rm rd
25
50
25
75 O
25 100 rm = rd – t/2

Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.

 Çözüm
2 2
σ h = σ bem = × 300 = 200 t / m ²
3 3 rd
p    

 t ⎞  p
p × rd ( ⎛
γ × h )× ⎜ rm + ⎟ 
t
rd = rm + t= ⎝ 2 ⎠ (γ × h )× (rm + 0.5 × t )
2 σh t = =
σh σh

γ × h × rm + γ × h × 0.5 × t γ × h × rm
t= t=
σh (σ h − γ × h × 0.5)
h × rm
γ = 1 t/m³ , σh = 200 t/m² için: t= bulunur.
(200 − h × 0.5)
rm
Sehim: δ = σh
E
Recep YURTAL Ç.Ü. İnş.Müh.Böl.
 h × rm rm
t= δ = σh
(200 − h × 0.5) E

Sıra Baraj tepesinden itibaren Eksen yarıçapı Kemer kalınlığı Sehim

No derinlik rm (m) t (m) δ (cm)
h (m)

1 0 95 0,00 0,95

2 25 80 10,67 0,80

3 50 63 18,00 0,63

4 75 58 26,77 0,58

5 100 50 33,33 0,50

Recep YURTAL