DAMS
Dams are built for the primary purpose of impounding
water in the reservoir upstream of its location.
Angat Dam
DAMS
Types Materials of Construction
A. Gravity Concrete, rubble masonry
B. Arch Concrete
C. Buttress Concrete, also Timber & Steel
D. Embankment Earth or rock
DAMS
Gravity Dams
Tygart Dam, West Virginia
DAMS
ARCH DAMS
Boundary Dam, Seattle
Salmon Creek Dam, Alaska
DAMS
BUTTRESS DAMS
Bartlett Dam, Colorado
DAMS
EMBANKMENT DAMS
Causes of Failure:
1. Sliding along horizontal plane (shear failure)
net force > shear resistance at that level
2. Rotation about the toe
3. Failure of material
• Weight of dam resist
opposing forces
• Usually concrete or
masonry
• Advantage: Simple Design
• Disadvantage: large
amount of materials and
construction
Where: H = heel of the dam
crest elev.
T = toe of the dam
G2
F = water pressure force
A’ A water surface elev.
on the upstream side
G1 = gravity force of
concrete
G1 G2 = gravity force of
h Iw water
Fs = silt pressure force
Ic Ic
Iw = inertia force of water
F upstream
silt
Fs R X Ic = inertia force of
H T foundation elev. concrete
U = uplift force
U Uplift pressure
distribution
Forces on Gravity Dam
1. Gravity (weight of dam)
W = wV = (specific weight of material) (volume)
2. Hydrostatic pressure
𝟏
F = 𝟐 wh2 (horizontal component)
where,
h = depth of water at that section
w = specific weight of water
3. Silt pressure: Suggested by Alma Jose using Rankine formula on retaining
walls:
(1 Sin )
FS
2
ws hs
2(1 sin )
where: ws is the specific weight of silt (about 14,150 N/m3)
hs is the height of fill (m)
ϴ is the angle of repose of the deposited silt
Cont..
4. Earthquake forces
results in inertial forces that include vertical motion, oscillatory
increase, or decrease in hydrostatic pressure (all put force against dam).
Usually, the inertia force on the mass of the concrete is.
Ic = Mc ae
where Mc is the mass of concrete and ae is the horizontal acceleration
of the earthquake.
Momentary increased pressure force on the water; by Von Karman
Iw = 0.555ae w h2 (acting at 4h/3π above the base)
where ae is the acceleration of the earthquake, w is the specific
weight of water and h is the upstream water depth.
Stability Against Sliding and Overturning
𝜮 (𝑹.𝑴.)
F.S. vs. Overturning = { }
𝜮 (𝑶.𝑴.) 𝒕𝒐𝒆
> 1.0
𝝁 𝑹𝑽
F.S. vs. Sliding = > 1.0
𝑹𝑯
Where:
μ is the coefficient of static friction between the dam and
the foundation (value ordinarily ranges from 0.65 to
0.75).
Rv is the vertical component of the foundation reaction
RH is the horizontal component.
To determine the location of the point where the resultant R
intersects the base.
Σ𝑅.𝑀.− Σ𝑂.𝑀. 𝑡𝑜𝑒
X= 𝑅𝑣
Where X is the distance of the point of intersection of the
resultant and the base from the toe.
Pressure Distribution on the Foundation of Dams
Eccentricity, e
𝟏
e=[ 𝟐
𝑩 − 𝑿]
If e ≤ B/6, Ry is within the middle third and the
foundation pressure is trapezoidal acting from
heel to toe. If e is exactly B/6, the shape of
foundation pressure is triangular also acting
from heel to toe.
𝑹𝒗 𝟔𝒆 Rv
q or s = (𝟏 ± )
𝑩 𝑩 X
For the sign of 6e/B, use (+) at point where Rv is
nearest. From the diagram above, use (+) for qT and Rv
(-) for qH. A negative q indicates compressive stress
and a positive q indicates tensile stress. A positive q
will occur when e > B/6. In foundation design, soil
is not allowed to carry tensile stress, thus, any +q
will be neglected in the analysis.
If e >B/6, Rv is outside the middle third and the foundation pressure is triangular.
Rv
X = a/3
SAMPLE
PROBLEM
The section of a masonry dam is shown in the figure weighs
23.54 KN/m3. If the uplift pressure varies uniformly from full
hydrostatic at the heel to full hydrostatic at the toe, but acts
only over 2/3 of the base, find the location of the resultant.
ELEV. 85.50. m
W.S.
ELEV. 82.30 m
3
1H :15V
2
W.S.
ELEV. 24.50 m
1
1
H T ELEV. 0 m
5.487
Solution: A
ELEV. 85.50. m
W.S. B C
ELEV. 82.30 m
3
1H :15V
2
E W.S.
D ELEV. 24.50 m
1
1
H T ELEV. 0 m
G F
5.70 40.667 24.50
70.867
GEOMETRIC PROPERTIES:
BC = 1/15 (82.30) = 5.487 m
HG = 1/15 (85.50) = 5.70 m
GF = DE = 2/3(61) = 40.667 m Base length, b = 70.867 m
FT 1
= /1(24.50) = 24.50 m
5.487
A
G1 ELEV. 85.50. m
ELEV. 82.30 m
G3
G6
ELEV. 24.50 m
G4
G2
F1 G5
F2
H T ELEV. 0 m
G F
5.70 40.667 24.50
GRAVITY FORCES: wV
70.867
G1 = (9.81) [½ (5.487 x 82.30 x 1)] = 2,215.00 kN
HYDROSTATIC FORCES:
G2 = (23.54) [½ (5.70 x 85.50 x 1)] = 5,736.1095 kN
F1 = ½ wh2 = ½ (9.81)(82.30)2 = 33,222.987 kN
F2 = ½ wh2 = ½ (9.81)(24.50)2 = 2,944.226 kN G3 = (23.54) [½ (40.667 x 61.00 x 1)] = 29,197.686 kN
G4 = (23.54) (40.667 x 24.50 x 1) = 23,453.879 kN
G5 = (23.54) [½ (24.50 x 24.50 x 1)] = 7,064.943 kN
G6 = (9.81) [½ (24.50 x 24.50 x 1)] = 2,944.226 kN
ƩG = 70,611.8435 kN
A
G1 ELEV. 85.50. m
69.038
ELEV. 82.30 m
G3
51.611
8.167
G6
ELEV. 24.50 m
G4
G2 44.834
F1 G5
67.067
F2
27.433
16.333
8.167
H T ELEV. 0 m
wh= 240.345 kPa
wh= 807.363kPa
U1
U2 U1 = 240.345 (2/3) (70.867 x 1) = 11,355.019 kN
U2 = ½ (807.363-240.345) (2/3) (70.867 x 1) = 13, 394.288 kN
ƩU = 24,749.307 kN
ƩR.M.= 2215(69.038)+ 5736.1095(67.067)+ 2919.686(51.611)+ 23453.879(44.834)+ 7064.943(16.333)+
2944.226(8.167) + 2944.226(8.167) = 3, 259, 558.511 kN.m.
A
G1 ELEV. 85.50. m
69.038
ELEV. 82.30 m
G3
51.611
8.167
G6
ELEV. 24.50 m
G4
44.834
G2
F1 G5
67.067
F2
27.433
16.333
8.167
H T ELEV. 0 m
U1
U2
ƩR.M.= 2215(69.038)+ 5736.1095(67.067)+ 2919.686(51.611)+ 23453.879(44.834)+ 7064.943(16.333)+
2944.226(8.167)+ 2944.226(8.167) = 3, 259, 558.511 kN.m.
ƩO.M.= 3322.987(27.433)+ 11355.019(35.434)+ 13394.288(47.245) = 1,946,573.082 kN.m
RH = F1 – F2 = 33,222.987 – 2944.226 = 30,278.761 kN R.M O.M 3,259,558.511 1,946,573.082
X 28.629m
Rv 45,862.536
within the middle
Rv = ƩG – ƩU = 70,611.8435 - 24,749.307 = 45,862.536 kN third
within the middle
X 28.629m third
b/3 b/3 b/3
23.622 23.622 23.622
R X = 28.629 m
H T
b = 70.867
EXERCISES
Exercise #1
A concrete dam retaining water is shown. If the specific weight
of concrete is 23.5 kN/m3. Find the factor of safety against
sliding, overturning and the pressure intensity on the base.
Assume there is no hydrostatic uplift and that the coeff. Of
friction between the dam and the foundation soil is 0.48.
2.0 m
W.S.
7.0 m
6.0 m
H T
4.0 m
Exercise #2
A concrete dam retaining water is shown. If the specific weight of concrete is
23.5 kN/m3. Find the factor of safety against sliding, overturning and the
pressure intensity on the base. Assume hydrostatic uplift to vary linearly from
full hydrostatic pressure at the heel to zero at the toe and that the coeff. Of
friction between the dam and the foundation soil is 0.48.
2.0 m
W.S.
7.0 m
6.0 m
H T
4.0 m
Exercise #3
Shown in the figure is an overflow dam. If there is no uplift
pressure. Determine the location of the resultant if the
specific weight of concrete is 23.54 kN/m3.
w.s. EL. 8 m.
EL. 6 m.
EL. 4 m.
EL. 0
3m 2m 3m
