CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. General

Water is an essential to sustain the human life. It plays a very important role in
many human activities, including industrial productions, agricultural, energies,
sanitations and transportations, in addition to sustain ecosystem that provide valuable
services of both environmental and human lives.
Over the world 97% of the earth’s water is seawater, making it unfit for most
human use. Of the remaining 3%, 87% is inaccessible, either locked in polar icecaps
or in deep underground aquifers. Thus, only 0.4% of all of the water on earth is in a
form that is usable and accessible by human beings.
Out of all renewable freshwater that reaches land by precipitation, most
returns to the atmosphere via evapo-transpiration, while the remainder is available as
runoff. Thus, while only 8% total renewable freshwater is being used directly by
human, it is estimate 54% if accessible annual runoff is currently withdrawn, with
higher figure in water-scarce area.
Population growth and economic development have caused demand for water
to increase drastically over the past century. Especially, Myanmar is an agriculture
country, so the demand of water is very height. For this water demand, dams are
constructed across the river, stream or some suitable catchment area. Normally
defined the dam is a hydraulic structure to store the water and distributes this water
effectively to the essential places, such as irrigation, power generation, water supply
and other purposes.
There are many types of dams constructed around the world for multi
purposes. Dams are classified into different categories depends upon the structure,
their use, design, construction materials and their height. Classification of dams may
be summarized in table 1.1.
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Table 1.1 Classification of dams

Basis of classification Types Examples

According to use 1. Storage dam Gravity dam, earth dam,

rock fill dam, arch dam
2. Diversion dam etc.
3. Detention dam Weir, barrage.
Dike, Water spreading
dam, debris dam.

By hydraulic design 1. Overflow dam Spillway

2. Non overflow dam Gravity dam, earth dam,
rock fill dam.

By materials used 1. Rigid dam Gravity dam, earth dam,

buttress dam, steel dam,
timber dam.
2. Non rigid dam Earth dam, rock fill dam.

By height 1. Large (Dam Height > 15 M)

2. Medium (10<=Dam Height>= 15
3. Small M)
(Dam Height < 10 M)

In Myanmar, Earth dam is most commonly constructed because the

construction of this types can be used gravels, rocks, sand, silt or clay which is locally
available. The methods of construction were these materials is combination by various
ways such as placing rolling or tamping for constructed the embankment.
Development of soil mechanic and better construction techniques, the higher earth
dam have been built with modern techniques. But for a realistic design and stability of
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an earth dam, it is essential that foundation conditions and materials of constructions

are investigated thoroughly.
Slope stability analysis is an important and delicate problem in civil engineers,
especially for the large projects such as dam, highway slopes, tunnel slopes, and
mining. Nowadays, many people known that the soil parameters and geometric design
of the slope many techniques can be calculated of the slope stability analysis of any
slopes. The main interest of slope stability analysis of a given slope is to determine a
factor of safety value (FS) against slope failure. A lot of researches have been
performed in the last the past few decades but slope stability still remains a challenge
in geotechnical engineering and civil engineering.
Today slope stability analysis can be calculated various slope stability
software and many methods by computer. So, that can be checked and analysis many
times and many ways as possible because the stability of slope in dam is very
important for humans lives and other valuable resources. In earth dam slope failure
can cause generally by natural forces, human misjudgment and activities, construction
materials and methods, and careless investigation of soil test results.

1.2. Objectives of the Study

The main objectives of the study are;
(a) To perform the slope stability analysis of the Thelun Dam.
(b) To assess the safe design of an embankment and the equilibrium
condition.
(c) To provide insight into the factor influencing the stability of slopes.
(d) To check the condition of upstream and downstream slope of the dam
by four different methods.
1.3. Scopes of the Study
The scopes of the study are set up as follows;
(a) The slope stability analysis of the Thelun Dam is reviewed by the
evaluation of Bishop’s Simplified Method.
(b) Geo-studio 2016 slope stability software is used to check the stability
of slope.
(c) Static conditions are considered to check the stability of slope.
(d) The results of different methods to get suitable conditions and facts
for slope stability analysis.
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1.4. Outline of the Study

This study consists of five chapters. Chapter one is introduction, chapter two
express literature review. Chapter three describes methodology and design
consideration. In chapter four, design calculation for slope stability of Thelun Dam
are include. Finally, discussion, conclusion and recommendation are represented in
chapter five.