Hydraulic Structures-15CV832

3 Gravity Dams
Module -1-

A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back
water by primarily utilizing the weight of the material alone to resist the horizontal pressure of
water pushing against it. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is stable,
independent of any other dam section

FORCES ACTING ON GRAVITY DAM:

In the design of a dam, the first step is the determination of various forces which acts on the
structure and study their nature. Depending upon the situation, the dam is subjected to the
following forces:
1. Water pressure
2. Earthquake forces
3. Silt pressure
4. Wave pressure
5. Ice pressure
6. Self weight of the dam.
The forces are considered to act per unit length of the dam.
For perfect and most accurate design, the effect of all the forces should be investigated. Out of
these forces, most common and important forces are water pressure and self weight of the dam.
1. Water Pressure
Water pressure may be subdivided into the following two categories:
I) External water pressure:
It is the pressure of water on the upstream face of the dam. In this, there are two cases:
(I) Upstream face of the dam is vertical and there is no water on the downstream side of
the dam (figure 1).

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The total pressure is in horizontal direction and acts on the upstream face at a height from
the

bottom. The pressure diagram is triangular and the total pressure is given by
Where w is the specific weight of water. Usually it is taken as unity.
H is the height upto which water is stored in m.
(ii) Upstream face with batter and there is no water on the downstream side (figure 2).

Figure 2
Here in addition to the horizontal water pressure as in the previous case, there is vertical
pressure of the water. It is due to the water column resting on the upstream sloping side.
The vertical pressure acts on the length ‘b’ portion of the base. This vertical pressure is given
by

Pressure acts through the centre of gravity of the water column resting on the sloping
upstream face.
If there is water standing on the downstream side of the dam, pressure may be calculated
similarly. The water pressure on the downstream face actually stabilizes the dam. Hence as an
additional factor of safety, it may be neglected.

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II) Water pressure below the base of the dam or Uplift pressure

When the water is stored on the upstream side of a dam there exists a head of water equal to the
height upto which the water is stored. This water enters the pores and fissures of the foundation
material under pressure. It also enters the joint between the dam and the foundation at the base
and the pores of the dam itself. This water then seeps through and tries to emerge out on the
downstream end. The seeping water creates hydraulic gradient between the upstream and
downstream side of the dam. This hydraulic gradient causes vertical upward pressure. The
upward pressure is known as uplift. Uplift reduces the effective weight of the structure and
consequently the restoring force is reduced. It is essential to study the nature of uplift and also
some methods will have to be devised to reduce the uplift pressure value.

Figure 3

With reference to figure 3, uplift pressure is given by

Where is the uplift pressure, B is the base width of the dam and H is the height upto which
water is stored.

This total uplift acts at from the heel or upstream end of the dam.
Uplift is generally reduced by providing drainage pipes or holes in the dam section.
Self weight of the dam is the only largest force which stabilizes the structure. The total weight of
the dam is supposed to act through the centre of gravity of the dam section in vertically
downward direction. Naturally when specific weight of the material of construction is high,
restoring force will be more. Construction material is so chosen that the density of the material is
about 2.045 gram per cubic meter.

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2. Earthquake Forces
The effect of earthquake is equivalent to acceleration to the foundation of the dam in the
direction in which the wave is travelling at the moment. Earthquake wave may move in any
direction and for design purposes, it is resolved into the vertical and horizontal directions. On an
average, a value of 0.1 to 0.15g (where g = acceleration due to gravity) is generally sufficient for
high dams in seismic zones. In extremely seismic regions and in conservative designs, even a
value of 0.3g may sometimes by adopted.
Vertical acceleration reduces the unit weight of the dam material and that of water is to
times the original unit weight, where the value of g accounted against earthquake
forces, i.e. 0.1 is when 0.1g is accounted for earthquake forces. The horizontal acceleration
acting towards the reservoir causes a momentary increase in water pressure and the foundation
and dam accelerate towards the reservoir and the water resists the movement owing to its inertia.
The extra pressure exerted by this process is known as hydrodynamic pressure.

3. Silt Pressure
If h is the height of silt deposited, then the forces exerted by this silt in addition to the external
water pressure, can be represented by Rankine formula

acting at from the base.

Where,
= coefficient of active earth pressure of silt =

= angle of internal friction of soil,

cohesion neglected.
= submerged unit weight of silt material.
h = height of silt deposited.

4. Wave Pressure

Waves are generated on the surface of the reservoir by the blowing winds, which exert a pressure
on the downstream side. Wave pressure depends upon wave height which is given by the
equation

for F < 32 km, and

for F > 32 km
Where is the height of water from the top of crest to bottom of trough in meters.
V – wind velocity in km/hour

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F – fetch or straight length of water expanse in km.
The maximum pressure intensity due to wave action may be given by

and acts at meters above the still water surface.

Figure 4

The pressure distribution may be assumed to be triangular of height as shown in figure 4.

Hence total force due to wave action

= acting at above the reservoir surface.

5. Ice Pressure

The ice which may be formed on the water surface of the reservoir in cold countries may
sometimes melt and expand. The dam face is subjected to the thrust and exerted by the
expanding ice. This force acts linearly along the length of the dam and at the reservoir level. The
magnitude of this force varies from 250 to 1500 kN/sq.m depending upon the temperature
variations. On an average, a value of 500 kN/sq.m may be taken under ordinary circumstances.

6. Weight of dam

The weight of dam and its foundation is a major resisting force. In two dimensional analysis
of dam

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 (Forces acting on dam)

Stability Analysis of Gravity Dam:

The stability analysis of gravity dams may be carried out by various methods, of which
the gravity method is described here. In this method, the dam is considered to be made
up of a number of vertical cantilevers which act independently for each other. The
resultant of all horizontal and vertical forces including uplift should be balanced by an
equal and opposite reaction at the foundation consisting of the total vertical reaction and
the total horizontal shear and friction at the base and the resisting shear and friction of
the passive wedge, if any. For the dam to be in static equilibrium, the location of this
force is such that the summation of moments is equal to zero. The distribution of the
vertical reaction is assumed as trapezoidal for convenience only. Otherwise, the
problem of determining the actual stress distribution at the base of a dam is complicated
by the horizontal reaction, internal stress relations, and other theoretical considerations.
Moreover, variation of foundation materials with depth, cracks and fissures which affect.
stresses and foundation pressures should be computed both with and without uplift to
determine the worst condition.

The stability analysis of a dam section is carried out to check the safety with regard to

1. Rotation and overturning

2. Translation and sliding

3. Overstress and material failure

Stability against overturning

Before a gravity dam can overturn physically, there may be other types of failures, such
as cracking of the upstream material due to tension, increase in uplift, crushing of the
toe material and sliding. However, the check against overturning is made to be sure that
the total stabilizing moments weigh out the de-stabilizing moments. The factor of safety
against overturning may be taken as 1.5. As such, a gravity dam is considered safe also
from the point of view of overturning if there is no tension on the upstream face.

Stability against sliding

Many of the loads on the dam act horizontally, like water pressure, horizontal
earthquake forces, etc. These forces have to be resisted by frictional or shearing forces
along horizontal or nearly-horizontal seams in foundation. The stability of a dam against
sliding is evaluated by comparing the minimum total available resistance along the
critical path of sliding (that is, along that plane or combination of plans which mobilizes
the least resistance to sliding) to the total magnitude of the forces tending to induce
sliding.
 (Stability against sliding on good rock)
Failure against overstressing:

A dam may fail if any of its part is overstressed and hence the stresses in any part of
the dam must not exceed the allowable working stress of concrete. In order to ensure
the safety of a concrete gravity dam against this sort of failure, the strength of concrete
shall be such that it is more than the stresses anticipated in the structure by a safe
margin. The maximum compressive stresses occur at heel (mostly during reservoir
empty condition) or at toe (at reservoir full condition) and on planes normal to the face
of the dam. The strength of concrete and masonry varies with age, the kind of cement
and other ingredients and their proportions in the work can be determined only by
experiment.
 Stability Considerations
a. General requirements. The basic stability requirements for a gravity dam for all
conditions of loading are:

(1) That it be safe against overturning at any horizontal plane within the structure,
at the base, or at a plane below the base.

(2) That it be safe against sliding on any horizontal or near-horizontal plane

within the structure at the base or on any rock seam in the foundation.

(3) That the allowable unit stresses in the concrete or in the foundation material
shall not be exceeded.
Characteristic locations within the dam in which a stability criteria check should
be considered include planes where there are dam section changes and high
concentrated loads. Large galleries and openings within the structure and
upstream and downstream slope transitions are specific areas for consideration.

b. Stability criteria. The stability criteria for concrete gravity dams for each load
condition are listed in Table G.D -1.

Overturning Stability
a. Resultant location.
The overturning stability is calculated by applying all the vertical forces (SV) and
lateral forces for each loading condition to the dam and, then, summing moments
(SM) caused by the consequent forces about the downstream toe. The resultant
location along the base is:

Resultant location =
∑M
∑V
b. Criteria. When the resultant of all forces acting above any horizontal plane
through a dam intersects that plane outside the middle third, a noncompression
zone will result.
For usual loading conditions, it is generally required that the resultant along the
plane of study remain within the middle third to maintain compressive stresses in
the concrete. For unusual loading conditions, the resultant must remain within the
middle half of the base. For the extreme load conditions, the resultant must
remain sufficiently within the base to assure that base pressures are within
prescribed limits.

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Sliding Stability

a. General. The sliding stability is based on a factor of safety (FS) as a measure

of determining the resistance of the structure against sliding.
The horizontal components of the loads acting on a dam are resisted by frictional
or shearing forces along horizontal or nearly horizontal planes in the body of the
dam, on the foundation or on horizontal or nearly horizontal seams in the
foundation. It follows that the total magnitude of the forces tending to induce
sliding shall be less than the minimum total available resistance along the critical
path of sliding. The sliding resistance is a function of the cohesion inherent in the
materials and at their contact and the angle of internal friction of the material at
the surface of sliding.
Definition of sliding factor of safety.
(1) The sliding FS is conceptually related to failure, the ratio of the shear strength
(tF), and the applied shear stress (t) along the failure planes of a test specimen
according to Equation 4-2:

τ F ( σ tan φ + c ) 1  ( w − u ) tan φ CA 
F .S . = = =  + 
τ τ P  Fφ Fc 

where tF = s tan f + c, according to the Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion; w = total

weight of dam; u = total upthrust force; tan φ = coefficient of internal friction of
material; c = cohesion of the material at the plane considered; A = area under
consideration for cohesion; Fφ =partial factor of safety in respect of friction; Fc =
partial factor of safety in respect of cohesion and P = total horizontal force.

Table G.D.2: Partial factors of safety against sliding (taken from Textbook of
Water and Power Engineering, R.K. Sharma & T.K. Sharma)

Sl. No. Loading Fφ Fc

conditions For dams and the For foundation
contact plane with Thoroughly Others
foundation investigated
(i) 1, 2, 3 1.5 3.6 4.0 4.5
(ii) 4, 5 1.2 2.4 2.7 3.0
(iii) 6, 7 1.0 1.2 1.35 1.5

Safety against Crushing

Safety against crushing is ensured if the compressive stresses produced are
within the allowable stresses.

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 x
h P
P e
W
h/3 R

B B
2 2

Maximum compressive stress = Direct stress + Bending moment

Bending moment MB

W 6.W .e W  6.e 
+= = 1 + 
A A.B A B 
where W = weight of dam, A = area of dam section, e = eccentricity

ELEMENTARY PROFILE OF A GRAVITY DAM

The elementary profile of the gravity dam to bear only the water pressure, will be
triangular in section as shown below. The width of the profile will be zero at the
water surface, where the pressure is zero and maximum at the base, where the
pressure is maximum. Thus the shape of the elementary profile is the same as
that of the hydrostatic pressure distribution. When the reservoir is empty, the
only force acting is self weight (W) of the dam acting at a distance B/3 from the
heel. It is the maximum possible inner-most position of the resultant so that no
tension develops and provides the maximum possible stabilizing force against
overturning without causing tension at toe under empty dam condition. If any
triangular profile other than the right-angled is provided, its weight will act closer
to the upstream face to provide a higher stabilizing force but will cause tension to
develop at the toe.
Vertical stresses developed when dam is empty will be:

W  6.e 
Pmax = 1 + ...at..toe
A B 
W  6.e 
Pmin = 1 − ....at..heel
A B 
Now when reservoir is full and downstream empty, forces acting on elementary
profile will be:

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FAILURES OF GRAVITY DAM
Failure of gravity dam occurs due to overturning, sliding, tension and compression. A gravity
dam is designed in such a way that it resists all external forces acting on the dam like water
pressure, wind pressure, wave pressure, ice pressure, uplift pressure by its own self-weight.
Gravity dams are constructed from masonry or concrete. However, concrete gravity dams are
preferred these days and mostly constructed. The advantage of gravity dam is that its structure is
most durable and solid and requires very less maintenance.

Causes of failure of a Gravity Dam:

A gravity dam may fail in following modes:

1. Overturning of dam about the toe

2. Sliding – shear failure of gravity dam
3. Compression – by crushing of the gravity dam
4. Tension – by development of tensile forces which results in the crack in gravity dam.

Overturning Failure of Gravity Dam:

The horizontal forces such as water pressure, wave pressure, silt pressure which act against the
gravity dam causes overturning moments. To resist this, resisting moments are generated by the
self-weight of the dam.
If the resultant of all the forces acting on a dam at any of its sections, passes through toe, the dam
will rotate and overturn about the toe. This is called overturning failure of gravity dam. But,
practically, such a condition does not arise and dam will fail much earlier by compression.
The ratio of the resisting moments about toe to the overturning moments about toe is called the
factor of safety against overturning. Its value generally varies between 2 and 3.
Factor of safety against overturning is given by
FOS = sum of overturning moments/ sum of resisting moments

Fig: sum of external horizontal forces greater than vertical self-weight of dam (overacting,
sliding occurs)

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Sliding Failure of Gravity Dam: When the net horizontal forces acting on gravity dam at the
base exceeds the frictional resistance (produced between body of the dam and foundation), The
failure occurs is known as sliding failure of gravity dam.
In low dams, the safety against sliding should be checked only for friction, but in high dams, for
economical precise design, the shear strength of the joint is also considered
Factor of safety against sliding can be given based on Frictional resistance and shear strength of
the dam
Factor of safety based on frictional resistance:

Gravity Dam Failure due to Tension Cracks: Masonry and concrete are weak in tension. Thus
masonry and concrete gravity dams are usually designed in such a way that no tension is
developed anywhere. If these dams are subjected to tensile stresses, materials may develop
tension cracks. Thus the dam loses contact with the bottom foundation due to this crack and
becomes ineffective and fails. Hence, the effective width B of the dam base will be reduced. This
will increase pmax at the toe. Hence, a tension crack by itself does not fail the structure, but it
leads to the failure of the structure by producing excessive compressive stresses.
For high gravity dams, certain amount of tension is permitted under severest loading conditions
in order to achieve economy in design. This is permitted because the worst condition of loads
may occur only momentarily and may not occur frequently.

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Gravity Dam Failure due to Compression: A gravity dam may fail by the failure of its
material, i.e. the compressive stresses produced may exceed the allowable stresses, and the dam
material may get crushed.

Design principles

Principal and shear stresses

Stability analysis of gravity dams

The stability analysis of gravity dams may be carried out by various methods. In gravity method, the dam
is considered to be made up of a number of vertical cantilevers which act independently for each other.
The resultant of all horizontal and vertical forces including uplift should be balanced by an equal and
opposite reaction at the foundation consisting of the total vertical reaction and the total horizontal shear
and friction at the base and the resisting shear and friction of the passive wedge, if any. For the dam to be
in static equilibrium, the location of this force is such that the summation of moments is equal to zero.
The distribution of the vertical reaction is assumed as trapezoidal. Otherwise, the problem of determining
the actual stress distribution at the base of a dam is complicated by the horizontal reaction, internal stress
relations, and other theoretical considerations. Moreover, variation of foundation materials with depth,
cracks and fissures which affect the resistance of the foundation also make the problem more complex.
The internal stresses and foundation pressures should be computed both with and without uplift to
determine the worst condition.
The stability analysis of a dam section is carried out to check the safety with regard to
1. Rotation and overturning
2. Translation and sliding
3. Overstress and material failure

Stability against overturning

Before a gravity dam can overturn physically, there may be other types of failures, such as
cracking of the upstream material due to tension, increase in uplift, crushing of the toe material and
sliding. However, the check against overturning is made to be sure that the total stabilizing moments
weigh out the de-stabilizing moments. The factor of safety against overturning may be taken as 1.5. As
such, a gravity dam is considered safe also from the point of view of overturning if there is no tension on
the upstream face.

Stability against sliding

Many of the loads on the dam act horizontally, like water pressure, horizontal earthquake forces,
etc. These forces have to be resisted by frictional or shearing forces along horizontal or nearly-horizontal
seams in foundation. The stability of a dam against sliding is evaluated by comparing the minimum total
available resistance along the critical path of sliding (that is, along that plane or combination of plans
which mobilizes the least resistance to sliding) to the total magnitude of the forces tending to induce
sliding.
Sliding resistance is also a function of the cohesion inherent in the materials at their contact and
the angle of internal friction of the material at the surface of sliding. The junction plane between the dam
and rock is rarely smooth. In fact, special efforts are made during construction to keep the interface as
rough as possible. There may, however be some lower plane in the foundation where sliding is resisted by

8
friction alone especially if the rock is markedly stratified and horizontally bedded. The factor of safety
against sliding (F) along a plane may be computed from

Where,

Fφ is the Partial Factor of Safety of friction

F is the Partial Factor of Safety of cohesion.

c

Failure against overstressing

A dam may fail if any of its part is overstressed and hence the stresses in any part of the dam must not
exceed the allowable working stress of concrete. In order to ensure the safety of a concrete gravity dam
against this sort of failure, the strength of concrete shall be such that it is more than the stresses
anticipated in the structure by a safe margin. The maximum compressive stresses occur at heel (mostly
during reservoir empty condition) or at toe (at reservoir full condition) and on planes normal to the face of
the dam.

The calculation of the stresses in the body of a gravity dam follows from the basics of elastic theory,
which is applied in a two-dimensional vertical plane, and assuming the block of the dam to be a cantilever
in the vertical plane attached to the foundation. Although in such an analysis, it is assumed that the
vertical stresses on horizontal planes vary uniformly and horizontal shear stresses vary parabolically, they
are not strictly correct. Stress concentrations develop near heel and toe, and modest tensile stresses may
develop at heel. The basic stresses that are required to be determined in a gravity dam analysis are
discussed below:

Normal stresses on horizontal planes

On any horizontal plane, the vertical normal stress (σz) may be determined as:

Where,

V is the resultant vertical load above the plane considered

T is the thickness of the dam block i.e., the length measured from heel to toe

E is the eccentricity of the resultant load

Y is the distance from the neutral axis of the plane to the point where σ z is being determined

At the heel, y= -T/2 and at the toe, y=+T/2. Thus, at these points, the normal stresses are found out as:

9
The eccentricity e may be found out as:

Naturally, there would be tension on the upstream face if the overturning moments under the
reservoir full condition increase such that e becomes greater than T/6. The total vertical stresses at the
upstream and downstream faces are obtained by addition of external hydrostatic pressure.
Shear stresses on horizontal planes

Horizontal stresses (τzy) and the shear stresses (τyz) are developed at any point as a result of the
variation in vertical normal stress over a horizontal plane. The following relation can be derived relating
the stresses with the distance y measured from the centroid

τ τ τ τ τ τ τ

Where,

τyzD = (σzD – pD) tanϕD; is the shear stress at downstream face

τyzU = -(σzU – pU) tanϕD; is the shear stress at upstream face

H is the height of the dam

The shear stress is seen to vary parabolically from τ yzU at the upstream face up to τyzD at the
downstream face.

Principal and shear stresses on vertical planes

The vertical stress intensity, Pmax or Pmin is determined using the vertical direct stress distribution
at base

It is not the maximum direct stress produced anywhere in the dam. The maximum normal stress
will, indeed, be the major principal stress that will be generated on the major principal plane. The
principal (σ) and shear (τ) stresses at the toe and heel of gravity dam can be expressed by
σ toe = pv sec2 α - (pˊ- peˊ) tan2 δ
σ heel = pv sec2 φ - (p + pe) tan2 θ
τ toe = [pv – (pˊ- peˊ)] tan δ
τ heel = [pv - (p + pe)] tan θ

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 Where,
δ is the angle which the downstream face of the dam makes with the vertical,
θ is the angle which the upstream face makes with the vertical,
pv is the intensity of uplift pressure,
p is the minor principal stress at the heel
pe is the hydrodynamic pressure exerted by the head water
peˊ is the hydrodynamic pressure exerted by the tail water during an earthquake

In a gravity dam, stability is secured by making it of such a size and shape that it will resist
overturning, sliding and crushing at the toe. The dam will not overturn provided that the moment around
the turning point, caused by the water pressure is smaller than the moment caused by the weight of the
dam. This is the case if the resultant force of water pressure and weight falls within the base of the dam.
However, in order to prevent tensile stress at the upstream face and excessive compressive stress at the
downstream face, the dam cross section is usually designed so that the resultant falls within the middle at
all elevations of the cross section (the core). For this type of dam, impervious foundations with high
bearing strength are essential.

Elementary profile and practical profile of a gravity dam

Theoretical profile Practical Profile

Provision of free board is not provided. Provision of free board is provided.

Road way at top is not possible. Road way at top is possible.

For reservoir empty condition it will For reservoir empty condition tension is developed at
provide maximum possible stability. toe and hence some masonry is provided on u/s side.

Drainage Galleries in Gravity Dams

Galleries are the horizontal or sloping openings or passages left in the body of the dam. • They
may run longitudinally (i.e. parallel to dam axis) or traversely (i.e. normal to the dam axis) and
are provided at various elevations. All the galleries are interconnected by steeply sloping
passages or by vertical shafts fitted with stairs or mechanical lifts.

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Function and types of galleries in Dams

(i) Foundation Gallery

A gallery provided in a dam may serve one particular purpose or more than one purpose. For
example, a gallery provided near the rock foundation, serves to drain off the water which
percolates through the foundations. This gallery is called a foundation gallery or a drainage
gallery.
1. It runs longitudinally and is quite near to the upstream face of the dam. Drain holes are
drilled from the floors of this gallery after the foundation grouting has been completed.
Seepages is collected through these drain holes.
2. Besides draining off seepage water, it may be helpful for drilling and grouting of the
foundations, when this can not be done from the surface of the dam.

(ii) Inspection Galleries

The water which seeps through the body of the dam is collected by means of a system of
galleries provided at various elevations and interconnected by vertical shafts, etc. All these
galleries, besides draining off seepage water, serves inspection purpose. They provide access to
the interior of the dam and are, therefore, called inspection purposes. They generally serve other
purposes along with this purpose.
1. They intercept and drain off the water seeping through the dam body
2. They provide access to dam interior for observing and controlling the behavior of the
dam.
3. They provide enough space for carrying pipes, etc. during artificial cooling of concrete
4. They provide access to all the outlets and spillway gates, valves, etc. by housing their
electrical and mechanical controls. All these gates, valves, etc, can hence be easily
controlled by men, from inside the dam itself.
5. They provide space for drilling and grouting of the foundations, then it cannot be done
from the surface of the dam.

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 x
h P
P e
W
h/3 R

B B
2 2

Maximum compressive stress = Direct stress + Bending moment

Bending moment MB

W 6.W .e W  6.e 
+= = 1 + 
A A.B A B 
where W = weight of dam, A = area of dam section, e = eccentricity

ELEMENTARY PROFILE OF A GRAVITY DAM

The elementary profile of the gravity dam to bear only the water pressure, will be
triangular in section as shown below. The width of the profile will be zero at the
water surface, where the pressure is zero and maximum at the base, where the
pressure is maximum. Thus the shape of the elementary profile is the same as
that of the hydrostatic pressure distribution. When the reservoir is empty, the
only force acting is self weight (W) of the dam acting at a distance B/3 from the
heel. It is the maximum possible inner-most position of the resultant so that no
tension develops and provides the maximum possible stabilizing force against
overturning without causing tension at toe under empty dam condition. If any
triangular profile other than the right-angled is provided, its weight will act closer
to the upstream face to provide a higher stabilizing force but will cause tension to
develop at the toe.
Vertical stresses developed when dam is empty will be:

W  6.e 
Pmax = 1 + ...at..toe
A B 
W  6.e 
Pmin = 1 − ....at..heel
A B 
Now when reservoir is full and downstream empty, forces acting on elementary
profile will be:

48
 h
P
P
h
3 W R K

B B
J 3 3

γh
u Uplift pressure

a) Dam weight W = ½ B. h.sg. γw

where sg = specific gravity of dam material (for concrete, = 2.4)
γw = unit weight of water (9.81 x 1000 kg/m3)

b). Water Pressure, P = ½.γw.h2 acting at 1/3 from the base.

c). Uplift pressure u = 1/2.c. γw .B.h
where c = uplift pressure intensity coefficient.
The base width, ‘B’ of the elementary profile is determined by the following two
vriteria:
a) Stress criteria
b) Stability or sliding criteria.

a) Stress criteria. When the reservoir is empty, there is no tension in the dam,
the resultant is acting at the inner 1/3rd point J. When the reservoir is full, for no
tension, the resultan must pass at outer 1/3rd point K.
Now taking moment of all forces about point K,

½. . γw h2.h/3 + ½.c. γw.B.h.B/3 - ½.B.h. sg. γw. B/3 =0

Multiplying both sides by 6/ γw.h

h2 + c.B2 – B2 sg = 0 or

B2(sg – c) = h2 from whence

B = h/( sg-c)1/2 ------------------------------------- (B)

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By considering the force triangle, using similar triangles, we have:

(W –u )/P = (h/3)/(B/3)

1 1 
 Bhsgγ w − γ .c.B.h  h
2 2 =
 1 2
γh  B
 
or  2 
B ( sg − c ) = h
2 2

h
B=
( sg − c )
When the uplift force is not considered, c = 0 or B = h/ (sg)1/2

Stability or Sliding Criteria

For no sliding of the dam, the horizontal forces causing sliding should be equal to
the frictional forces, i.e.

P = μ(W – u)
or 1/2γw.h2 = μ(1/2.B.h.sg. γw – 1/2. c.B. γw.h

B = h/μ(sg –c)

And neglecting uplift pressure,

B = h/μsg ----------------------------------------------- ©

The base width ‘B” of the elementary profile should be greater of the widths
obtained in equation (B) or (C)

Stresses in the elementary profile

The normal stressing the dam is given by:

 W − u  6e 
p= 1 +  − − − − − − − − − −( D)
 B  B

when the reservoir is full, the normal stress at toe is

W − u  2(W − u )
p= (1 + 1) =
 B  B
2
p = [1 / 2 B.h.sgγ w − 1 / 2c.B.γ w .h] = γ w .h.( sg − c ) − − − − − −( E )
B
The corresponding stress at the heel is:

50
 W − u 
p= (1 − 1) = 0 − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − −( F )
 B 

When the reservoir is empty, the only force acting on the elementary profile is its
weight, acting through J. In this case, the maximum compressive stress at the
heel = W/B(1+1) = 2W/B and the corresponding normal stress at toe is
W/B(1-1) =0

The Practical Dam Profile

The elementary profile of a gravity dam is a triangle with maximum water surface
at its apex. This profile is only theoretical one. For meeting the practoical
requirements certain changes have to be made namely: i) for communication,
road has to be provided and therefore a top width; ii) for wave action, free board
above the high flood level must be provided.
The addition of the above will cause the resultant force to shift towards the heel.
Earlier, when the reservoir was empty, the resultant was passing through the
inner middle third. The above changes will shift it towards the heel, crossing the
inner middle third point; this will create tension in the toe. To prevent this tension,
some concrete is added in the dam body towards upstream side.

Free board

h
Dam

a
16
Figure G.D. : Practical dam profile

51
Principal and Shear Stress in Dam

Need to redraw

Check drawing from main notes

The figure above shows the dam with possible pressure distribution on it. The
maximum normal stress in the dam is the major principal stress which will be
generated on the major principal plane. When the dam is full, the vertical direct
stress is the maximum at the toe as the resultant is near the toe. The principal
stresses near the toe is shown on the second diagram with a small element ABC.

Let dr, ds and db be the lengths of AB, AC and BC respectively, and let
p = be intensity of water pressure
σ1 = principal stress on plane AB
τ = shear stress

Now considering unit length of the element ABC of the dam, the normal forces on
the planes AB, AC and BC are σ1.dr σ1.dr, pv.db and p.ds sinα respectively.
Resolving all the forces in the vertical direction,

p v.db = p.ds sinα + σ1.dr.cosα ----------------- (G)

But dr = db.cosα and ds = db.sinα

Therefore pv .db = p.ds.sin 2 α + σ1.db.cos 2 α

Or pv = p.sin 2 α + σ1.cos 2 α

Therefore σ1 = (p v –p.sin 2 α)/cos 2 α

52
 σ1 = p v. sec 2 α –p.tan 2 α ---------------------- (H)

Equation (H) is known as the principal stress relationship, which is applicable to

both upstream and downstream faces. For the downstream side the worst
condition will be when there is no tail water, and hence p will be zero. In this case
the major principal stress σ1 is given by

σ1 = p v. sec 2 α -----------------------------(I)

If pe’ is the intensity of hydrodynamic pressure of tail water due to an earthquake,

the principal stress at the downstream is given by:

σ1 = p v. sec 2 α –(p – pe.’) tan 2 α

In the same way,considering the hydrodynamic pressure for the upstream side,
in the horizontal direction;
Τ.db = σ1.dr.sin α + p.ds cos α

τ = σ1..sin α(dr/db) + p.(ds/db)cos α

τ = (σ1-p).sin α.cos α.

Now substituting the value of σ1 from eq. (H)

τ = (p v sec 2 α - p.sec 2 α) cos α .sin α

or τ = (p v - p) tan α

The shear stress for the upstream side has the same value but with reversed
direction
For the upstream side, τ = - (p v - p) tan α

STABILITY ANALYSIS OF GRAVITY DAMS

The stability analysis of a gravity dam section can be done by any one of the
following methods:

a) Gravity method of two-dimensional method

b) Slab analogy method
c) Trial load twist method
d) Lattice analogy method

Gravity Method or Two-dimensional Method.

Being an approximate method, it is used for the preliminary calculations.
The gravity method can be carried out by:
i) Graphical method or

53
 ii) Analytical method.
We shall consider only the analytical method.

For the analytical method, the following steps are carried out:

a) Considering unit length of the dam, all vertical loads are determined the
algebraic sum of all vertical forces ∑V is calculated
b) Considering unit length of the dam, all horizontal forces are determined
and their algebraic sum ∑H calculated.

c) The sum of the righting moments (∑MR) and the sum of overturning
moments ∑MO) at the toe of the dam are calculated.

The difference between the algebraic sum of the overturning and righting
moments is determined i.e ∑M = ∑MR - ∑MO

d) The location of the resultant force FR from the toe of the dam is also
calculated by the following:

xe =
∑ M − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (J )
∑V
e) Now the eccentricity of the resultant force is determined by:

B
e =   − x e − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − −( K )
2

f) The normal stress at the toe of the dam is determined by:

N σT =
∑ V 1 + 6.e  − − − − − − − − − − − − − ( L)
B  B 

g) The normal stress at the heel is determined by

N σH =
∑V 1 − 6.e  − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (M )
B  B 

h) The principal and shear stresses at the toe and heel are determined from

σ1 = p v. sec 2 α -----------------------------(I)
τ = - (p v - p) tan α

i) The factor of safety against overturning is calculated by:

54
 ( F .S .) =
∑M R

∑M O

j) The factor of safety against sliding is calculated by:

µ ∑V
Sliding . factor − ( F .S ) =
∑H
µ ∑ V + B.q
Shear. friction. factor − ( F .S ) =
∑H
LOW AND HIGH GRAVITY DAMS

Low Dam: is one of limiting height such that the resultant of all forces passes
through the middle third and the maximum compressive stress at the toe does
not exceed the permissible limit i.e

σ1 =γwH(s-c+1) = fc

f
H= − − − or
γ w ( s.g − c + 1)
or limiting height
f
H=
γ w ( s.g + 1)

The limiting height, for the usual stress of dam material i. e. γw = 9.81 x1000
kg/m3, ρ = 2.4 and f = 30 kg/cm2 (or 300tonnes /m2) gives:
300 x1000
H= = 8.99m
9.81x1000( 2.4 + 1)
s = Specific gravity of material; c = coefficient of uplift pressure, γw = specific
weight of water; f = permissible compressive stress of material.

High Dam: A dam the height of which exceeds the limiting height of low dams is
termed as high. In a high dam, the allowable stress are often exceeded if the
resultant of all the forces were to pass through the middle third; to avoid
excessive stresses the resultant is maintained still near the centre of the base for
which purpose the downstream slope is flattened and the upstream slope is also
provided with a batter.

55
 Reservoir level

Limiting height
of low dam
H1

Height of
high dam

Upstream B
batter

Figure G.D. : Low dam and high dam

Design of Gravity Dams

Before starting, one must establish whether it is low or high dam using the above
relationship.
.

O
h1 = 2a S s − c
h K

Q
J S

 h 
B1 = 
 S −c 
 s 
B

Figure G.D. 13. Economic section of Low Gravity Dam

Top width is chosen according to Creager must be about 14%of the dam’s
height.

56
Free Board: is provided on the basis of height of waves and other practical
considerations. In practice a free board of between (3 – 5)% of dam height is
used

h
B1 = − − − or
Ss − c
Base width B1 I is given by
h
B1 =
µ ( S s − c)

WORKED EXAMPLES

The diagram below shows the cross section of a masonry dam. Determine the
stability of the dam. Also determine the principal stress at the toe and heel of the
dam. Take unit weight of dam material as 2250 kg/m3, density of water 1000
kg/m3 and the permissible shear stress of joint = 15 kg/cm2. Assume value of
coefficient of friction μ = 0.75

SOLUTION

Stability of dam is tested assuming no free board.

A. Vertical forces
i) Self weight of dam = (12 + 2.5)/2 x 15 x 1 x 2250 = 244,687.5 kg

A B
D

β
15m α

D
C

1 2.5 8.5

ii) Weight of water in column DD’A = (1 x 15)/2 x 1000 = 7500 kg

iii) Uplift force on dam =(15 x 12)/2 x 1000 = 90,000kg

57
iv) Therefore ∑V = 244687.5 + 7500 – 90,000 = 162.187.5 kg

v) Horizontal water pressure = (γw x h2)/2 = (1000 x 152)/2 = 112,500 g

Calculation of moments due to various forces about toe of dam

vi) Moment of self weight

[(1x 15)/2](1 + 2.5 + 8.5) + (2.5x 15 x 2250)[(2.5/2)+ 8.5] + [(8.5x15)/2](2/3x8.5)
= 194,062.5 + 822,656.25+ 406,406.25 = 1,423,124.9kg-m (+ve)

vii) Moment due to weight of water in DD’A

7500 x (1 +2.5 + 8.5) = 78,750kg-m (+ve)

viii) Moment due to uplift force

82,500 x 2/3 x 12 = 660,000 kg-m (-ve)

ix) Moment due to horizontal water pressure

112,500 x 1/3 x 15 = 562,500 kg-m (-ve)

Therefore ∑M =1,423,124.9 + 78750-660000-562500 = + 279,374.9 kg-m

Factor of safety calculation

x) Factor of safety against overturning = Resisting Moments =

Overturning Moments
(1423124.9 + 78750) = 1.228 < 2 unsafe.
(660,000 + 562,500)

xi) Factor of safety against sliding = μ∑V = 0.75 x 162,187.5 = 1.08 >1.0 safe
∑H 112,500

xii) Shear friction factor =μ∑V + b.q = 0.75x 162,187.5 + 12 x 15 x 104 = 17.08
∑H 112,500

Stress calculation

Let the resultant be acting at xav from the toe

Xav = ∑M = 279,374.9 = 1.72m
∑H 162,187.5

Distance of resultant force from centre of dam, (eccentricity, e)

e = B/2 – xav = 12/2 – 1.72 = 4.28

Compressive stress at toe

ft =∑V(1+6.e/B)=162,187.5(1+6x 4.28/12) = 509,268.7 > 50kg/cm2 unsafe

58
 B 12

Tensile stress at heel,

fh = ∑V(1– 6.e/B)=162,187.5(1–6x4.28/12)= -15407.81 =-1.54 kg/cm2 unsafe
B 12
In masonry dams, there should not be any tensile stress, therefore the sectionis
not safe.

Calculation of principal stresses

From the diagram, tan β = 8.5/15 = 0.567
Sec α = (1 + 152)/15 = 1.002
Sec β = (8.52 + 152)/15 = 1.149
tan α = 1/15 = 0.067
Principal stress at toe
σ = pn sec2 β = 509,268.7 x 1.149 = 672,336 kg/m2
Shear Stress at toe
Τ = pn tan β = 509,268.7 x 0.567 = 288,755 kg.m2
Principal stress at heel
σh = pn sec2 α – p. tan 2 α = -15407.81 x (1.002)2 -1000 x 15 x (0.067)2
= (15469.5 - 67.33) = 15402.16 kg/m2

Shear stress at heel

= - (pn-p) tan α = - [ - 15407.81 – 10,000] x 1/15 = -(25407.81)/15 = 1693.8 kg/m2

Example 2: From the data given below, design a stone masonry gravity dam of
practical profile.

Ground level, R.L = 1130.5m

R.L of HFL = 1155.5m
Wave height = 1.0m
Specific gravity of masonry = 2.5
Permissible compressive stress for stone masonry 125t/m2
Solution
Free board height = 1.5 x height of wave = 1.5 x1.0 1.5 m
Therefore required level of top of dam = 1155.5 + 1.5 = 1157m
Height of dam = 1157 – 1130.5 = 26.5m
fc 125 x1000
Limiting height of dam = = = 35.71m
γ w ( S s + 1) 1000( 2.5 + 1
Therefore the dam is a low gravity dam.

59
 4.5
1157.0 M N
1155.5 1.5
L

14m O
25m K
22m
Q DAM
R
1130.5
J S
P
B1 = 16m
0.3

The design of the dam can be done with respect to the details.
Depth of water = 1155.5 – 1130.5 = 25m
Top width of dam = 14% height of dam = 14?100 x 26.5 = 3.71m
Assume a roadway width of 4.5 m
Therefore provide top width MN of dam = 4.5m
h 25
Base width of dam PS = B1 = = = 15.81m ; assume 16m
( Ss − c ) 2.5 − 0
Extra width JS = MN/16 = 4.5/16 = 0.281m (assume 0.3m)
Vertical distance LK = 2a Ss = 2 x 4.5 2.5 = 14.23 assume 14m
Vertical distance LR = 3.1a Ss = 3.1x 4.5 2.5 = 22m

Example 3
What should be the maximum height of elementary profile of a dam, it the safe
limit os stress on the masonry should not exceed 350 tonnes/m2. Assume weight
of masonry 2.4 tonnes/m3. Determine the base width also. Determine H and B if
uplift intensity factor is 0.67 and factor of safety is 2
Solution: The limiting height of elementary profile of a masonry dam

60
 fc 350 x1000 xg
H= = = 103m
γ w ( sg + 1) 1000 xg (2.4 + 1)
H 103
Base width B = = = 66m
Ss − c 2.4
fc 350 x1000 xg
ii) F.S =2, c = 0.67: H = = = 64m
F .Sxγ w ( Ss − c + 1) 2.0 x1000 xg ( 2.4 − 0.67 + 1)
H 64
B= = = 49m
Ss − c 2.4 − 0.67

Example 4.
A concrete gravity dam has maximum water level 305.0m, bed level 225.0m, top
required level of dam 309.0m, downstream face slope starts at required level
300.0m, downstream slope 2:3, tail water is nil, upstream face of dam is vertical,
centre line of drainage gallery is 8m downstream of upstream face, uplift
pressure is 100% at heel, 50% at line of gallery and zero at toe, specific gravity
of concrete is 2.4. Considering only weight, water pressure and uplift, determine
i) Maximum vertical stresses at toe and heel of dam
ii) major principal stresses at toe of dam and
iii) Intensity of shear stress on a horizontal plane near the toe
Solution:
Height of dam H = 309.0 – 225.0 = 84m
Depth of water h = 305.0 – 225.0 = 80m
1. Top width of dam = 14% of height = 0.14 x 84 = 12m
2. Bottom width of dam = 12 + (300 – 225) x2/3 = 62m
Calculating weight and moments by considering unit length of dam

61
 309
305 8 54
300
W
U1
α u2
40
80
W2
80

u1
225

50 Uplift pressure diagram

8

62

Designation Force Moment arm Moment about toe

Weight of dam,
w1=12 x84 x 1 x2.4 x γw =2419 γw 50 + 12/2 = 56 13546 γw
w2=50x75/2x1x2.4 γw =4500 γw 50 x 2/3 = 33.33 149985 γw
w = w1+w2 = 6919 ∑M1=(+)285449 γw
Uplift
U1=40 x 8 x 1/2 γw =160 γw 54+2/3x8=59.33 9493
U2=40 x 8 γw =320 γw 54 + 4 =58 18560
U3=54 x40/2 =1080 γw 54x2/3=36 38880
∑u =1560 γw ∑M2= (-) 66933 γw
Water pressure
P = γwh2/2=80 x80/2 γw 3200 γw 80 x 1/3=26.67 ∑M3= (-) 85344 γw
∑V = W – U = 6919 – 1560 = 5359 γw ∑M = M1-M2-M3 = (+) 133172 γw
Position of resultant from toe xav = M/V= 133172 γw /5359 γw=24.85
Eccentricity, e = B/2 –xav 62/2 – 24.85=6.15m
Normal compressive stress at toe pn=V/B(1+6e/B)= 5359 γw /62(1+6x6.15/62)=
138 γwN/m2
Normal compressive stress at heel pn’= V/B(1-6e/B)= 5359 γw /62(1-6x6.15/62)=
35 γwN/m2

62
Principal stress at toe σ = p n sec 2 α – p’ tan 2α p’ = zero because tail wate is
zero; tan α = 2/3 sec 2 α = 1 + tan 2 α = 1 +(2/3)2 =13/9
Therefore σ = p n sec 2 α= 138 γw x13/9=199 γw N/m2

Intensity of shear stress on a horizontal plane near toe

Τ τo =( pn – p’)tan α = (138 γw – 0)x2/3 = 92 γw N/m2

Example 5. A concrete gravity dam has maximum reservoir level 150.0m, base
level of dam = 100.0m, tail water elevation 110.0m, base width of dam 40m,
location of drainage gallery 10m from upstream face which may be assumed as
vertical. Compute the hydrostatic thrust and the uplift force per metre length of
dam at its base level. Assume 50 % reduction in net seepage head at the
location of the drainage gallery.
Solution:
Free board = 5% of dam height = 0.05x50= 2.5 adopt 3m
Dam height h = 50 + 3 =53m
Top width a = 14%xh = 0.14 x 53 = 7.5m adopt 7.5m

1 1 30
1
143
W
α U3
u2
30
U4
50
W2 50

u1
1

32 Uplift pressure diagram

1

40
Designation x γw Force x γw Moment arm Moment about toe
X γw

63
 Weight of dam
W1=7.5x53x1x2.4 =954 32.5+7.5/2=36.25 34583
W2 = 32.5 x43/2 x1 x2.4 =1677 32.5x2/3=21.67 36341
Weight of tail water
W3 = 8x10/2x1x1 40 8 x 1/3 = 2.67 107
∑V1 =2671 ∑M1 (+) 71031

Uplift pressure
U1=20 x 10/2 100 30 + 10 x2/3=36.67 3667
U2=10 x30 x1 300 (30 +10/2) = 35 10500
U3=10 x30 x 1 300 (30/2) = 15 4500
U4=20 x 30/2 x 1 300 (30 x 2/3) = 20 6000
∑V2= 1000 ∑M2 =24,667
Water pressure
U/S=γwh2/2=γwx1.10.10/2 1250 50/3 (-) 20,833
D/S=γwh2/2=γw.1.10.10/2 50 10/3 (+)167
∑H3= 1200 ∑M3 (-) 20,666

Position of resultant from toe xav = M/V=25698/1671=15.38m

Eccentricity, e =B/2-xac=40/2 – 15.38 = 4.62m
Normal compressive stress at toe, pn= V/B(1 + 6e/B)
= 1671/40(1 +6.4x62/40)=70.73 γw
Normal compressive stress at heel p’ =V/B(1 – 6e/B)
= 1671/40(1-6x4.62/40)= 12.82 γw
Maximum principal stress at toe σ = pn sec2 α – p’ tan 2α p’ = 10 γw
tan α = 40/50, sec 2 α= 1.64
σ=70.73 x 1.64 – 10(40/50)2 =110 γw
Intensity of shear stress on a horizontal plane near toe
Ττ0 = (pn – p’)tan α
τ0 = 70.73 -10)40/50 = 49 γw

64

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