CHAPTER ONE

ELEMENTS OF
DAM ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION
 What are Hydraulic Structures?
◦ The broadest definition is that: these are "all
structures in contact with water“
 Why Hydraulic Structures?
◦ In order to Manage and solve problems associated
with water.
 Examples of Hydraulic Structures
◦ Dams
◦ Intakes
◦ Outlets
◦ Spillways
◦ Energy Dissipators…
Hydraulic Structures
 Dam structures and reservoirs
Definition:- A dam may be defined as an obstruction or barrier built across a
stream or a river.
The lake of water which is formed upstream is often called reservoir.

Reservoir
Downstream
Upstream

The stored water can be used for ;

Recreation purpose;
Reservoir of drinking water; Dam
For farm land irrigation;
Generation of electric power etc ..
Depending upon the purpose served by a given reservoir, the reservoir may
be broadly classified

1) Storage or conservation reservoir:- are those reservoirs which retain excess

supplies during period of peak flow and can release them gradually during low
flows or when the need arises.

2) Flood control reservoirs:- store a portion of flood flows in such a way to

minimize the flood peaks at the area to be protected downstream.

3) Multipurpose reservoirs:-are those reservoirs which are planned and constructed

to serve not only one purpose but various purpose together.
 Storage Capacity of the dam

• Storage capacity is the most important physical characteristics of the reservoir

that store water and stabilize the flow.

•The capacity of reservoir on dam site, is determined from the contour maps of the
area.
• After the topographical survey of the dam sites is carried out and contour map is
prepared, the area enclosed within each contour can be measured with a
planimeter.

The incremental storage volume S between two successive contour can be

found by

A1  A2
S  (h)
2
( Simple average method ) h

h
S  A1  4 A2  A3  A2
6 A1
( Prismoidal method )
Storage Components
Spillway crest

Maximum pool level

Normal pool level

Outlet

Live storage

Minimum pool level

Dead storage
River bed

Spillway
Classification of Dams
 Dam type definitions according to ICOLD
(International Commission of Large Dams)
 Embankment Dam:
◦ Any dam constructed of naturally excavated
materials placed without addition of binding
material other than those inherent in the natural
material.
◦ The term embankment dam is used to indicate a
zoned fill dam (involving selected pervious areas
of rock, gravel, earth and impervious zones) or
homogeneous earth fill dam
 ◦ Embankment dams are usually referred to be
types such as Earth fill, Rock fill, and Hydraulic fill.
 Earth fill dam:
◦ An embankment dam constructed primarily of
compacted earth(clay, silt, sand) in either
homogeneous or zoned areas containing more
than 50% of earth.
 Hydraulic Fill dam:
◦ An embankment dam constructed of earth, sand,
gravel or rock generally from dredged material
conveyed to the site of placement by suspension
in flowing water.
Principal variants of earthfill and earthfill–rockfill embankment dams
 Rock fill dam:
◦ An embankment type of dam dependent for
its stability primarily on rock (gravel, crashed
rock).
◦ Rock fill dams must contain an impervious
zone.
◦ The impervious zone may be of cement
concrete, bituminous concrete or other
impermeable material.
◦ Rock fill dams can be with central clay core,
inclined clay core, decked or central asphaltic
Principal variants of rockfill embankment dams
 Gravity dam:
◦ A type of dam constructed of mass concrete
or stone masonry, or both, which relies on its
weight for stability.
◦ The dam is usually roughly triangular in cross
section with its base width so related to its
height as to insure stability against
overturning, sliding or crushing.
 Arch dam:
◦ A dam with upstream curvature which
transmits the major portion of the load or
pressure to the abutments rather than to the
bottom foundation.
◦ In general, an arch dam has a base thickness
less than 60% of its height. Dams of greater
thickness are considered as arch-gravity dams
or gravity dams.
 Arch-gravity dams:
◦ Are dams where the load or pressure is
transmitted to both the abutments and the
bottom foundation.
 Buttress dam:
◦ A dam consisting of a watertight upstream
face supported at intervals on the
downstream side by a serious of intermittent
supports termed buttress.
Selection of the different types of dams
 There are many factors that may affect
the selection of type of dam. Such factors
include:
1. Geology
2. Availability of Technical skills
3. Cost effectiveness
4. Availability of materials
5. Environment and public opinion
6. Time and money
7. Hydrology etc…
 Geology
◦ Foundation requirements:
◦ The existence of joint patterns in an
abutment (their orientation, inclination and
infilling) may indicate the possibility of
instability under loading from an arch dam and
reservoir water.
◦ Such a site would possibly be satisfactory for
an embankment dam or even an adequately
dimensioned gravity dam.
◦ Type of rock, overburden, fractures, bedding
have a strong influence on the need for
foundation treatment and costs.
◦ As a rule, concrete dams require a foundation
on relatively sound rock.
◦ Earth and rock fill dams may be founded on
decomposed rock and sediments or soils
(with limitation).
◦ Where the possibility exists of deformation of
the foundation along the axis of the dam, the
gravity or arch dam would require very
detailed attention but a buttress or
embankment dam would be satisfactory.
◦ Seismicity (earthquake risk):
◦ Finite element methods now make possible
the analysis of the behavior of dams under
dynamic loading.
◦ A rock fill dam provided with filters (material
from which could move into and seal cracks
in the core material) appear to be one of the
safest type in earthquake regions.
◦ As another option a gravity dam can be built
as an assembly of large concrete blocks
separated from one another laterally by gravel
filling in the joints: this should permit relative
movements of parts of the dam.
◦ Topography:
◦ geometry of river bed and abutments for an
adequate emplacement of the dam and
associated structures, including required river
diversion works–resulting costs.
◦ In general terms for V shaped valleys –
concrete dams can be recommended
◦ For wide U shaped valleys with mild lateral
slopes – earth or rock fill dams (or RCC –
roller compacted concrete) can be
recommended
 Availability of Technical skills
◦ At many sites neither skilled contractor nor
artisans are available.
◦ This can preclude the adoption of dams that
require complex framework or very high
quality concrete.
◦ The embankment type dams or a masonry
gravity dam may then prove most suitable.
 Cost effectiveness
◦ Site conditions naturally influence the cost of
various types of dam.
◦ For a very high dam, for instance, the cost
may be high compared with concrete dams.
◦ For concrete dams costs for external spillway
can be saved incase of spillway located at the
dam crest.
 Availability of materials
◦ The cost of transport of material to the site
has to be considered, for different dam
options.
 Environment and public opinion
◦ To obtain construction materials large areas
of land could be dug, plants and settlements
could be displaced.
◦ In such cases public opinion is a major factor
in the adoption of a dam
 Time and money
◦ Time and money may be unavailable for
sophisticated investigation and design, like
arch dams.
◦ Embankment dams can be continuously
constructed to reduce construction time with
high degree of mechanization.
 Hydrology
◦ The possibility of inundation by floods during
construction may favor a concrete dam.
◦ Where ‘wet season’ high flow occurs, an
embankment dam will require special and
detailed protection, where as concrete dam
could be overtopped with little damage.
Dam Site Assessment and Investigation

 Parties directly involved in engineering of dam

activities are:
 Owner - public or private organization. Tasks:
◦ Provision of financial resources
◦ Establishment of general objectives
 Consulting Engineer
◦ Planning and design
◦ Construction supervision
 Contractor
◦ Construction of required infrastructure
◦ Construction of civil works
◦ Assembly of equipments
 Phases of engineering activities
◦ Before a specific project is implemented and
planned in a basin, a MASTER PLAN for the use
of water resources in the basin has to be
established.
◦ Usually the site investigation and planning activity
comprises of hydraulic engineer, hydrologist, civil
engineer, surveyor, geologist (or hydro geologist),
and sociologist (sometimes) with whom the
hydraulic engineer is the team leader.
◦ What do these professionals actually do?
 The following sequences of activities are
focused on a particular dam that is part of the
proposed master plan development.

A) Prior to construction
B) During Construction
C) After construction
A) Prior to construction
 Preliminary studies
◦ Collection and evaluation of existing data
◦ Field trips- reconnaissance of dam site,
reservoir area and downstream area
◦ Preliminary dam design including selection of
type, main dimensions, approximate site, costs,
etc
 Feasibility studies
◦ Detailed investigation of site conditions
◦ Final selection of site
◦ Final selection of dam type, main dimensions,
lay out
 Basic design
◦ Completion of detailed site investigations
◦ Detailed design, cost estimates construction
schedules,
◦ Development of:
 Basic report
 Tender documents for the construction of civil
works (drawings, specifications, general and special
contract conditions)
B) During Construction
 Detailed (construction execution design)
◦ Stepwise detail of dam design ahead of
construction
◦ Site investigations oriented towards
construction
 Construction activities
◦ Preliminary installation of contractor at site
◦ Construction of required infrastructure (road,
camp, plant, water and energy supply, etc)
◦ River diversion
◦ Construction of dam and associated
structures
C) After construction
 Monitoring, surveillance, operation
◦ Reading of instruments, evaluation of results
◦ Planning of operation
◦ Execution of operation activities
◦ Maintenance activities
 Collection and Evaluation of Basic
Data
◦ In order to carry out reliable dam engineering
activities there are major aspects that could
be regarded as basic ‘input’ data that must be
carefully studied.
 Such data include:
1. Topography
2. Geomorphology
3. Geology and hydrogeology
4. Meteorology and climate
5. Hydrology and
6. Hydraulics