1.

3 General Objectives,
Requirements and Factors in
Engineering of Dams
1.3 General Objectives, Requirements and Factors
in Engineering of Dams

• PDCO of dams should meet major objectives

and requirements
– Fulfillment of pre-defined purposes
– Having near-optimal functionality
– Maintaining acceptable safety
– Economically justifiable
– Met ELS and other relevant requirements
1.3.1 Satisfy pre-established purposes and functions

• Dam is component part of General plan

• Purpose: Irrigation, hydropower, water supply,

flood control

• Functions: provide adequate (pre-established)

storage volume, head regulation capability
 1.3.2 Safety
• Relative concept associated with risks
• Concept of failure (reversible/ irreversible)
– Total and partial destruction of dams
– Attaining a state of excessive risk
– Loss of operation capability, loss of function
 1.3.2 Safety
• Safety as a measure of security with respect to a
state of failure
• There is no absolute safety
• Safety during construction and during operation
– Construction:
• during construction of dam and associated works
• Before final filling of reservoir
– Operation:
• during economic or physical life-time of dam
 1.3.2 Safety
• The concept of safety includes:
– Safety of the dam itself
– Safety of the dam foundation (riverbed,
floodplains, abutments, etc)
– Safety of associated structures such as spillways,
intakes, outlets, etc
– Safety of reservoir area (landslides,
sedimentation, etc)
– Safety of the downstream valley associated with
the dam
 1.3.2 Safety
• Failure mechanisms (potential risks) in areas
downstream of the dam:
– Flooding due to dam operations or accidents

• Failure mechanisms (potential risks) in a

structures associated with dam:
– Cavitations, erosion, abrasion of water passages
– Vibration and malfunction of gates
 1.3.2 Safety
• Failure mechanisms (potential risks) in areas
downstream of the dam:
– Hydrological, hydraulic
• overtopping of dam by water, piping, excessive uplift etc.
– Geotechnical
• sliding of dam slopes, settlements, sliding of abutments, liquefaction of
foundations, cracking of dam body, loss of filter zones, etc
– Structural, technological
• cracking of concrete structures, expansions, concentration of stresses,
corrosion of reinforcement bars, creeping etc.
 1.3.2 Safety

• Failure mechanisms (potential risks) in

reservoir area:
– Landslides instability of later slopes which may (or
not) endanger the dam itself
– Excessive sedimentation with loss of live (useful)
storage, obstruction of intakes etc
– Excessive leakage from reservoir which may (or
not) the dam itself
– Seismicity in reservoir area-natural or induced
 1.3.2 Safety
• Safety regulations and Criteria:
– at least for the most significant potential failure
mechanisms based on:
• previous experience
• Evaluation of potential damages
• Evaluation of acceptable risks, etc
– Such regulations and criteria (in most cases also
associated with legal aspects-liabilities) have to be
complemented by additional specific criteria well
adapted to each case considered.
 1.3.2 Safety
• Examples for safety criteria:
– Overtopping of temporary dams (cofferdams) which may
be destroyed by overtopping
• Required safety is to provide discharge capacity of diversion works
for a flood with period of return of 10, 20, 50, 100 years or even
higher depending on importance and duration of construction
period, etc
– Overtopping of permanent dams that may be destroyed by
overtopping.
• Provision of discharge capacities of spillway ( or other outlets) for
periods of return of 100, 1000, or up to PMF depending on
importance, assessment of potential damages, etc.
 1.3.2 Safety

• EQ effects and seismic risks:

– Adaption of a design EQ for design and verification
of dam structures
– Natural seisms or reservoir induced seisms values
depend on regional seismicity
• Stability of slopes of embankments
• Stability of concrete structures (silting,
sliding, over-turning, floating)
• Numerical criteria resulting from experience
 1.3.3 Economy
• Design and construction to achieve:
 an economical solution
 having efficient use of required resource (material,
equipment, labour, infrastructure)
• Methodology is through comparison of
possible alternatives
• Importance of good, reliable cost estimates
and economic evaluations at planning and
design level
 1.3.4 Favorable conditions for construction
and operation
• Design and construction should achieve:
• Favorable conditions for the safe and efficient operation
and control of the dam and associated structures
• Design should permit
• Implementation in a practicable and reliable manner
• Advantage of simplicity of construction wherever possible
• Importance of efficient construction schedules
 1.3.5 Other Requirements

• Design and construction to satisfy

requirements related to environmental
impacts
• Other aspects such as legal, social,
institutional
 1.3.6 Important Factors

– In order to achieve general objectives and

requirements, design and construction of
dams have to take into account a large
variety of important factors
 1.3.6.1 Physical Factors

– Climatic conditions:
• temperatures, precipitation, winds, solar radiation, evaporation air moisture, etc

– Hydrological conditions:
• distribution of rainfall, runoff, streamflows and their variation, floods, sediments

– Topography, geomorphology, landscape: riverbed, valley,

abutments

– Geology, Hydrogeology, geotechnics, geological

formations, geological features, natural
construction materials and their properties,
foundation capabilities, water tightness, etc
– Hydraulic conditions: river stages, regimes, sediment transport, river
morphology
 1.3.6.2 Biological Factors

–Flora
–Fauna
–Ecosystems
–Water quality
 1.3.6.3 Socio-Economic Factors

• Populations
• Demographic distributions
• Resettlements
• Economic activities
• Naturals and potentials
• Infrastructure
• Relocation
1.3.6.4 Technical and Technological Factors

Availability of :
– experiences
– construction materials
– Machinery
– Specific infrastructures
– Labor
1.3.6.5 Legal and Institutional Framework

– Legal Requirements
– Liabilities
– Legal practices
– Landownership
– Institutional framework
– Other regional plans and projects
 1.3.6.6 Political Factors

– Political goals
– Mechanisms
– Representations
– Interest of society involved