Buttress Dam

Buttress Dam
• Is
Is a gravity dam reinforced by structural 
a gravity dam reinforced by structural
supports 
• Buttress ‐
Buttress a support that transmits a force 
a support that transmits a force
from a roof or wall to another supporting 
structure
• This type of structure can be considered even 
if h f
if the foundation rocks are little weaker
d i k li l k
Buttress Dam

a) Solid gravity dam;
b) Hollow dam (with 
wide joints);
c) Roundhead 
buttress dam;;
d) Flat slab buttress 
dam;
e) Multiple‐arch 
buttress dam
 Buttress Dam
Buttress Dam

• sloping membrane that transmits the water 
load to a series of  buttresses @ right angles to 
axis of dam
axis of dam

• Increased formwork & reinforced steel 
compared w/gravity dam
d / it d
• Less massive than gravity dam (requires 1/3 
to 1/2 as much concrete)
• Use on weaker foundation
•
 Buttress Dam
Buttress Dam
•Main Components of buttress dam are:
Sloping membrane
•Sloping membrane
•Buttresses
•Footings
•Lateral Braces
C b l
•Corbels
•Cutoff 
 Buttress Dam
Buttress Dam

Deck Slab Type Buttress Dams: Main
•Freely supported slab
•Fixed/ continuous slab
C til l b
•Cantilever slab
•Forces Acting on a buttress dam
The same as those acting on gravity 
dam. However the relative importance 
p
of the forces are different.
 Buttress Dam
•Slope of Upstream Face
Depend upon stability and 
foundation pressure
foundation pressure
Generally an angle of 350 to 450 
with the horizontal is usually adopted 
and the most desirable u/s slope is 
obtained by trial and error (Economy 
and safety)
•Buttress spacing
Thickness of buttress is minimum
Thickness of buttress is minimum  
for buttress alone
For wider spacing Qt of concrete and 
reinforcement will be more

For smaller spacing the cost of 
ll i h f
formwork increased
Hence, use of concrete 
reinforcement and also formwork are 
important for most economical spacing 
of buttress
 Preliminary Design of Buttresses by Unit Column Theory

•Assume trial sections of buttresses by unit 
column theory for buttresses uniform 
strength
•Assumptions:
•Load is transferred by each column 
independently to the foundation
• uniform compressive stress is 
developed at all sections
•Satisfied if the axis of each column is 
along the line of the major principal
along the line of the major principal 
stress laying along the force polygon

•The initial panel load depends upon 
the type of joints between the deck 
h fj i b h d k
slab and the buttress
•Frictionless
•Monolithic
 Preliminary Design of Buttresses by Unit Column Theory
The potential for buckling of various 
struts can be checked using the Euler 
formula: 

Where P
Where PCR is the critical buckling load, E is 
is the critical buckling load E is
the elastic modulus of the concrete, k is 
the slenderness ratio (1.0 for pinned ends 
and 0.5 for fixed ends), I is the moment of 
inertia about the weak axis, and L is the 
length of the compression member. 
Typically, the struts are cast into sockets in 
the buttresses
the buttresses. 
 Preliminary Design of Buttresses by Unit Column Theory

However, it is typically the

crushing/bearing capacity of the struts
that is the controlling force on the struts.
At a 140‐foot‐high slab and buttress dam
the buckling capacity of the 18‐inch by
18‐inch by 18‐foot long struts is
(3.142)(3,000,000 lb/in2)(1/12)(18
4)/[(1.0)(18‐feet)(12(in/ft)]2 = 5.6 million
lbs while the crushing capacity is (18‐
inch)(18‐inch)*(4380 lb/in2) = 1.4 million
lbs (no load factors should be applied).
Preliminary Design of Buttresses by Unit Column Theory

h
Po
H x
Spacing of buttress
Spacing of buttress
 Spacing of buttress
p g =F=

• Take Factor of Safety for sliding be F
• For the given factor of safety ,F, and  
For the given factor of safety F and
height ,h, the volume of concrete can be 
determined for different angle of 
inclination. The angle of inclination is 
g
independent of the spacing of buttresses.
• The volume of concrete required for 
different spacing  for different angle can 
p g g
be computed and this can be related with 
the one computed in the above equation. 
Then there will be an optimum point that 
gives the economical spacing of the 
buttresses and the required volume of 
concrete.
 Design of buttresses by unit column 
=F=

theory
h
• The thickness to at the top of 
p
the unit column is given by:

• The thickness t at any point in 
the unit column at a vertical 
distance y from the origin is 
given by: Po= Pw+Wdn

Where: 
•y is the height at any point in the unit 
column from the origing
•f is the allowable stress of concrete
•Wc is the unit weight of concrete
 Design of buttresses by unit column  =F=

theory
h
• The thickness so found is usually less 
than the minimum required from
than the minimum required from 
practical consideration. The unit 
column equations should be 
modified to conform to the actual 
thickness.
thickness
• Equation of column axis:

• The angle     may also be expressed in 
The angle may also be expressed in
terms of coordinate x as 

Po is Vectorial sum of  Pw and Wd

 Design of buttresses by unit column 
=F=

theory
h
• Modification of the theoretical 
profile
fil
 Stability Analysis of buttress:
Stability Analysis of buttress: =F=

• Stability against:
– overturning, 
– tension and sliding 
should be checked as in the case of a gravity dam.
– However, the analyses of buttress dam, the forces are 
calculated per buttress unit instead of per unit length
calculated per buttress unit instead of per unit length.
• Stability against buckling:

• Overall width of buttresses:
– Generally the overall width of the buttress varies between 
1 2 d 1 5 ti
1.2 and 1.5 times the height of the dam
th h i ht f th d .
 Design of the Deck Slab
Design of the Deck Slab
=F=

• Assuming that the slab is 
Where:
simply supported, 
i l d • l is the spacing between 
maximum bending is  buttresses 
occur at the mid span
h id • I is the second moment 
of area = 1xd3/12
• y is the distance to the 
y is the distance to the
• From bending formula,  extreme fiber =d/2
moment can be found • d is the depth of the deck 
slab.