D A M S

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 DAMS
Contents

 Dams  Components of a water

 Types of dam power scheme
 Selection of dam site  Essentials of general plant
 Selection of dam type layout
 General types of plant layout
 Determination of dam height
 Surge chambers
 Instrumentation
 Governing of an impulse
 Inspection of dam
turbine
 Components of earth dam
 Design criteria for earth dam

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 DAMS
DAM
 Dam is constructed to create a reservoir (permanent or
temporary)
 Purpose of dams:
 To divert water from a stream (Diversion dams)
 For navigation (Navigation dams)
 For hydropower generation (Power dams)
 Store water for municipal/industrial use, irrigation, flood control,
river regulation, recreation, (Storage dams)

A dam serving two or more purposes is a multipurpose dam.

The dam should be economical and the material used for construction
should be easily available.
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 DAMS
Dams are classified based on their purpose, shape, material used
and mode of construction

TYPES OF DAM

 Embankment Dams
 Concrete Dams
 Composite Dams

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 DAMS
Embankment Dams

 Earth fill Dams

 Rock fill Dams

Types of Earth fill Dams

 Homogeneous earth fill

 Modified Homogeneous
 Zoned earth fill
 Hydraulic fill Dams

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 DAMS
COMPOSITE DAM
 This dam is a combination of embankment and concrete dam.
 It generally consists of concrete gravity or buttress sections in
combination with earth fill or rock fill sections.
 The concrete dam portion helps to pass flood flows over or
through the section during construction, and act as the spillway
after construction. The earth or rock fill section take advantage
of low cost construction and local materials.
EARTH DAMS
 Earth dams have been used for water storage since early
civilization.
 Earth dams may be built of rock, gravel, sand, silt or clay in
various combinations.
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 DAMS
 Earth dams are constructed with an inner impervious core with
upstream and downstream zones or more pervious materials,
sometime including rock zones.
 Earth dams limit the flow of water by the use of fine-grained
soils. Where possible, these soils are formed into a relatively
impervious core.
 In sand or gravel foundation, the core may by connected to
bedrock by a cutoff trench backfilled with compacted soil.
 If such cutoffs are uneconomical because of the great depth of
pervious foundation, then the central impervious core is
connected to a long horizontal upstream impervious blanket that
increases the seepage path. The impervious core is encased in
pervious zones of sand, gravel, or rock fill for stability.
 Transition zones prevent the core material from being
transported into the pervious zones by seeping water.
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 DAMS
 When pervious soils are scarce, the entire dam may be a
homogeneous fill of relatively impervious soil.
 Downstream pervious drainage blankets are provided to collect
seepage passing through, under, and around the abutments of
the dam.
 Materials can be obtained from excavation for the dam and from
borrow area. Rock fill is generally used when large quantities
are available or when soil borrow is scarce.
 Earth fill embankment is placed in layers and compacted by
sheep-foot rollers or heavy pneumatic-tire rollers.
 Moisture content of silt and clay soils is carefully controlled to
facilitate optimum compaction.
 Sand and gravel fills are compacted in slightly thicker layers.
Rock fill is placed in layers 1-3 ft deep.
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 DAMS
SELECTION OF DAM SITE
 This depends upon hydrologic, topographic, and geologic
conditions; storage capacity of reservoir; accessibility; cost of
lands and necessary relocations of prior occupants or uses; and
proximity of sources of suitable construction materials.
 For a storage dam the site should have the desired amount of
storage to be economically developed. Power dams must be
located to develop the desired head and storage.
 For a diversion dam the site must be in conjunction with the
location and elevation of the outlet canal or conduit.
 Site for navigation dams involves factors such as desired
navigable depth, channel width, slope of river channel, natural
river flow, amount of bank protection, amount of channel
dredging, approach and exit conditions for tows, and locations of
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other dams.
 DAMS
SELECTION OF DAM SITE…
 Topographic characteristics include width of the flood plain,
shape and height of valley walls, existence of nearby saddles for
spillways, and adequacy of reservoir rim to retain impounded
water.
 Geologic conditions include the depth, classification,
engineering properties of soils and bedrock, occurrence of
sinks, faults, and major landslides at the site or in the reservoir
area.
 The elevation of ground water table influence the construction
operations and suitability of borrow materials.
 The reservoir water recharges the ground water and have
adverse effects on mineral resources.

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 DAMS
SELECTION OF DAM TYPE
 It depends on the estimated costs of various types.
 Important factors are topography, foundation conditions and
the accessibility of construction materials.
 A hard-rock foundation is suitable for any type of dam,
provided the rock has no unfavorable joints, no movement in
existing faults, and seepage is controlled at reasonable cost.
 Rock foundations of high quality are essential for arch dam
because the abutments receive the full thrust of the water.
 Rock foundations are necessary for all concrete dams.
 An earth dam may be built on almost any kind of foundation if
properly designed and constructed.

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 DAMS
SELECTION OF DAM TYPE…
 An embankment dam is most economical if large spillway and
outlet capacities are required and topography and foundation
are favorable.
 In a wide valley a combination of an earth embankment dam
and a concrete section containing the spillway and outlets is
economical.
 A concrete dam requires adequate quantities of suitable
aggregate and availability of cement, while an earth dam
requires sufficient quantities of both pervious and impervious
earth materials.
 If enough rock is available, a rock-fill dam with an impervious
earth core may be the most economical.
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DETERMINATION OF DAM HEIGHT
 The dam must be high enough to
1 Store water to the normal full pool elevation
2 Provide for the temporary storage needed to route the
spillway design flood through the dam
3 Provide sufficient freeboard to assure an acceptable
degree of safety against possible overtopping from waves
and run up.
 Physical characteristics of the dam and reservoir site or
existing development within the reservoir area may impose
upper limits in selecting the normal full-pool level.
 Freeboard is the distance between the maximum reservoir
level and the top of the dam. Usually 3ft or more of freeboard
is provided to avoid overtopping by wind generated waves.
Additional freeboard may be provided for possible effects of
surges induced by earthquakes, landslides etc,. 13
 DAMS
INSTRUMENTATION
 Instruments are installed at dams to observe structural
behavior and physical conditions to check safety, and for
design improvement.
 In concrete dams instruments are used to measure stresses.
 Plumb lines are used to measure bending, and clinometers to
measure tilting.
 Contraction joint openings are measured by joint meters.
Temperatures are measured either by embedded electrical
resistance thermometers or by adopting strain, stress, and
joint measuring instruments.
 Water pressure on the base of a concrete dam is measured by
uplift pressure cells.
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 DAMS
 Measurements are made to determine horizontal/vertical
movements; strong-motion accelerometers are installed on
and near dams in earth-quake regions to record seismic data.
 Piezometers determine pore water pressure in the soil or
bedrock during construction and seepage after reservoir
impoundments.
 Settle mental gages determine settlements of the foundation of
the dam under dead load.
 Vertical and horizontal makers determine movements,
especially during construction.
 Inclinometers determine horizontal movements along a vertical
line.

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 DAMS
INSPECTION OF DAMS:
 Failure of dam may result in loss of life or property in the
downstream area.

 The design of dams should be reviewed to assure competency

of the structure and its site, and inspection should be made
during construction to ensure that the requirements of the
design and specification are incorporated in the structure.

 After completion and filling, inspections should be regularly

scheduled. The objective is to detect symptoms of possible
distress in the dam at earliest time.

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 DAMS
INSPECTION OF DAM
 These symptoms include slides in embankments; piping or
boils; abnormal changes in flow; increase in seepage
quantities; changes in pore water or uplift pressures;
movement or cracking of embankments/abutments;
cracking of concrete structures; appearance of sinkholes
near foundations; excessive deflection, displacement
erosion, vibration of concrete structures; movement,
deflection or vibration of spillway gates; or any other
unusual condition in the structure or surrounding terrain.
 Detection should be followed by an investigation of the
causes, probable effects, and remedial measures required.
 Systematic monitoring of the instrumentation installed in
dams is essential to the inspection program.
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 DAMS
Components of an Earth Dam

Transition section
Transition section
Pervious shell
Pervious shell

Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain
It is an impervious element which intends
upwards from the base of the dam to the top
DAMS
practically always constructed of impervious soil
and may simply be an extension
Components of Earth
of an the cutoff
Dam
wall upwards to the top of dam. Although core
wall is often located on the longitudinal centre
Transition section
line of the dam, which may be located anywhere Transition section
Pervious shell
on the upstream side of the centre.
Pervious shell

Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain
It is a relatively impervious element which
extends down wards through the foundation soil
DAMS
from the base of the dam. The function is to
reduce the amount of seepageofwater
Components flowing
an Earth Dam
through the foundation. This cut-off wall should
be carried down to solid rock or other very
Transition section
impervious material. Its effectiveness is greatlyTransition section
Pervious shell
reduced, if it extends only part way and
seepage water may flow beneath the cut off wall. Pervious shell
It may be made of steel sheet pile or clay or
reinforced cone or fine grained impervious soil. Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain
 DAMS
Components of an Earth Dam
It is made up of pervious
material. The u/s shell section,
Transition section
provide Transition
protectionsectionagainst rap
Pervious shell draw down which causes
rotational type Pervious shell of u/s
of failure
slop. The d/s sheet provides
protection against Rip Rap
out drop of
Rip Rap
seepage. D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
21
drain
 DAMS
An intermediate grade of
Components of an Earth Damis provided to from the
material
section placed between the
Transition section core walls and previous shell.
Transition section
Pervious shell The material function like a
filter, prevents desilting or
Pervious shell
lateral movement of practical
from the core walls.
Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain
 It is placed on the u/s face as DAMS
protection against wave wash
and on the d/s slope for
Components
protectionof an Earth rains.
against Dam It
comprises of a 3-5 ft. thick
Transition section
layer of big stones (rock
Transition section
Pervious shell fragment and boulder).
Pervious shell

Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain
 To protect a dam from the effects of seepage
drains are provided. The drains provided DAMS
completely intercept the seepage and the
down stream zone is kept free of saturation.
The mostComponents
commonly usedof anmethods.
Earth Dam Are as
follows:-
• Longitudinal
Transition section
drains and blankets
Transition section
• Chimney drains extending upwards into the
Pervious shell
embankment Pervious shell
• Toe drains
• Relief wells Rip Rap
Rip Rap
D/S
U/S
Impervious
core

Cutoff

Toe
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drain