Course outline

WEEK CONTENT OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES

1  Dam failures, factors influencing
choice of cross-section, site
investigation and material survey,
Design criteria, foundation treatment.
Students should know the
 Importance of dam, factors influencing
the cross-section of a dam, the
geotechnical consideration in site
investigation, the material survey and Lectures
design consideration, presentation

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 EARTH AND
ROCK FILL DAMS
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 DAM
 A dam may be defined
as an obstruction or a
barrier built across a
stream or a river.
 The pool of water is
formed at upstream and
can be used to turn the
blades of a turbine to
generate electrical power.

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TYPES OF DAMS

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 TYPES OF DAMS
Earth dams
Rock-fill dams
Solid masonry gravity dams
Hollow masonry gravity dams
Timber dams
 Steel dams
Arch dams

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 Factors in Site selection
Topography: A narrow site will minimize the amount of material in the dam
thus reducing its cost, but such a site may be adaptable.
Geology: The foundation of the dam should be relatively free of major faults
and shears. If these are present, they may require expensive foundation
treatment.
Appurtenant: While the cost of these Structures is usually less than the cost
of the dam, economy in design may be obtained by considering their effect at
the time of site selection.
Local condition: Site of availability of water supply, sewage disposal, electric
power for construction purposes, telephone service should be chosen.
Access: Accessibility of the site has a very definite effect on the total cost.
Easy excess is required for the contractor’s plant and equipment near the site.
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 General design consideration
 Local condition
Availability of public facilities or utilities such as water supply, sewage
disposal, electric power for construction purposes, telephone service,
construction camp; and need for permanent buildings for operating personnel
should be well available.
Maps and photographs
Map should show existing towns, highways, roads, railroads, and shipping
points
Ground & aerial photographs and general area map should be obtained
locating the general area within the State, together with county and township
lines.
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 General design consideration
Hydrological data
Stream-flow records, Stream-flow and reservoir yield, Flood studies,
Sedimentation and water quality studies ,ground-water conditions are to be
collected.
Reservoir capacity
A topographic map of the reservoir site is to be collected, annual periodic
fluctuations of reservoir levels , Area-capacity curves for storage of the spillway
design flood are to be calculated.
Climatic effects
 Weather Service records of mean monthly air temperatures, river water
temperatures at various times, Wind velocities and prevailing direction, Amount
and annual variance in rainfall are to be collected.
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 Construction materials
Concrete aggregates and properties
Availability of suitable aggregates usually processed from natural deposits of
sand, gravel, and cobbles in sufficient quantity to construct the dam and its
appurtenant structures.
 Concrete mix having high cement content and admixtures like pozzolans, fly ash
etc. are prepared from hydraulic laboratory model studies & environmental
studies.
Water for construction purposes (quantity and quality)
 An adequate supply of water for construction purposes such as washing
aggregates and cooling and batching concrete should be assured.
The water used in the concrete mix should be reasonably free of silt, organic
matter, alkali, salts, and other impurities and objectionable amounts of chlorides
or sulphates.
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 Procedure to build a dam
Step I: Dewatering the part of river valley at selected site of dam which is
achieved by diverting the river through a tunnel.
1. Provision of diversion tunnel is made.
2. Construction of dams in two stages.
3. Construction of galleries in gravity dams
Step II: Work is started when river flow is low. Earth-moving equipment is used
to build small dam(cofferdam) on upstream of main construction area.
Pumping is regularly done to remove water that may seeps through the
cofferdams.
Diversion tunnels are not required in case of concrete gravity dams and only if
water is channeled through a water pipe is satisfactorily.

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Step III: Removal of loose rock and rubble from the valley walls and
river bed.
Concrete-faced rock-fill dams require a footing to be constructed
around their upstream edge. The plinth is made from concrete and
serves as a foundation or connection between the dams and valley
walls & floor.
The area under plinth is waterproofed by drilling holes and pumping
cement grout into cracks in the rock.
Step IV: During dam construction, the associated power station and
intake works are also being built if hydropower generation is to be
generated.
 Once, dams is completed, diversion tunnel is closed and lake begins to
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 FOUNDATION INVESTIGATIONS
Field investigations
Appraisal investigations
It includes a preliminary selection of the site and type of dam using geologic
and topographic maps, photographs of the site area, and data from field
examinations of natural outcrops, road cuts, and other surface conditions.
Feasibility investigations
The location of the dam is usually finalized. The geologic mapping and sections
are reviewed and supplemented by additional data such as new surveys and
additional drill holes.

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 Final design data
A detailed foundation investigation is conducted to obtain the final design data.
This investigation involves as many drill holes as are necessary to accurately
define
 Strike, dip, thickness, continuity, and composition of all faults and shears in
the foundation.
 Depth of overburden.
Depth of weathering throughout the foundation.
 Joint orientation and continuity.
 Lithologic variability.
 Physical properties of the foundation rock, including material in the faults and
shears
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 Foundation treatment
Excavation
Adequate attention is to be paid during blasting operation to assure
unnecessary shattering of rocks, loosening of bed of foundation.
 Foundations such as shales, chalk, mudstones require protection against
air and water slaking.
 Shaping of canyon profile: If canyon profile for a dam is relatively narrow
with steep sloping walls, dam section will be deflected by reservoir load and
result torsional effect. To counteract this, uniformly varying profile is to be
shaped.
Dental treatment: The procedure of reinforcing and stabilizing weak zones
during driling action and final excavation is called “dental treatment.”
Proper Protection against piping should be made for dam stability.
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 Foundation treatment
Grouting
Holes are drilled at shallow as well as deep and cement grouting is filled to
establish an effective barrier to seepage under the dam and to consolidate the
foundation.
Consolidation grouting Low-pressure grouting to fill voids, fracture zones, and
cracks at and below the surface of the excavated foundation is accomplished by
drilling and grouting relatively shallow holes.
Curtain grouting Construction of a deep grout curtain near the heel of the
dam to control seepage is accomplished by drilling deep holes and grouting
them using higher pressure.

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 Water pressure
Uplift pressure
Pressure due to earthquake forces
Silt pressure
 Wave pressure
Ice pressure
Stabilizing force i.e. weight of dam itself

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Modes of failure and criteria for structural stability
of gravity dams
By overturning( or rotation) about the toe
 By crushing
By development of tension, causing ultimate failure by crushing
 By shear failure called sliding

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 Major Issues: TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF CONCRETE
Methods of temperature control
a) Pre-cooling
Restricting concrete placement during the hotter part of the day or the hotter months of the year, to a full
treatment of refrigerating the various parts of the concrete mix to obtain a predetermined, maximum
concrete placing temperature.
One method is to chill the aggregate in large tanks of refrigerated water for a given period of time.
b) Post-cooling
Artificially cooling mass concrete by circulating cold water through embedded cooling coils on the top of
each construction lift will materially reduce the peak temperature of the concrete
c) Low heat producing cement and modified cement as per site requirements should be used .
d) Use of pozzolans

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