LESSON 8 DAMS

EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
built using natural materials constructed with low-permeability soils to a nominally homogeneous profile section featured neither internal drainage nor a cutoff to restrict seepage flow through the foundation

TWO COMPONENT ELEMENTS:

1.An impervious water-retaining element or core of very low Permeability of soil, for example, soft clay or heavily remoulded puddle clay. 2.Supporting shoulders of coarser earthfill (or rockfill), to provide structural stability
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPICAL EMBANKMENT DAM

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of EARTHEN EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of ROCKFILL EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of ROCKFILL EMBANKMENT DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
TYPES of ROCKFILL EMBANKMENT DAMS

1. Removal of overburden down to a su itable foundation and excavation of a trench

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
METHODS of CONSTRUCTION 1. The dam site should be cleared of soil and loose rock, and, if the dam is to be built on solid rock, seams and fractures must be grouted. 2. Earthen dams are most commonly constructed by rolled-fill method: Place selected materials in layers of 6 to 18 in (15 to 45 cm) and compact them with heavy roller Material should be places at a moisture content near that for optimum density Coarse gravels are not suited for compaction by rolling, but vibrating equipment can be used.
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
METHODS of CONSTRUCTION 3. In the past years a number of earthfill dams were constructed by hydraulic-fill method: Water was used to transport the material to its final position in the dam Because of lack of control in placing the material, there were many failures of this type of dam, construction by this method is not recommended

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. Hydraulic failure Occurs by the surface erosion of the dam water 2. Seepage failure Occurs when the water on the reservoir side continuously seeps through an embankment dam and its foundation to the downstream side. 3. Structural failure Related to the instability of the dam and its foundation, caused by reasons other than surface flow (hydraulic failure) or sub-surface flow (seepage failure)
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 1. Overtopping of the dam caused by a flood that exceeded the design flood for the spillway faulty operation of the spillway gates may also lead to overtopping since the flood could not be let out in time through the spillway caused by insufficient freeboard (the difference between the maximum reservoir level and the minimum crest level) has been provided

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 1. Overtopping of the dam

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 2. Erosion of upstream face and shoulder caused by the action of continuous wave action

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 2. Erosion of upstream face and shoulder

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 3. Erosion of downstream slope by rain wash caused by heavy rainwater flowing down the face, which may lead to the formation of gullies and finally collapse of the whole dam

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 3. Erosion of downstream slope by rain wash

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 4. Erosion of downstream toe of dam by tailwater this may happen if the river water on the downstream side of the dam (which may have come from the releases of a powerhouse during normal operation or out of a spillway or sluice during flood flows)

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 1. HYDRAULIC FAILURES 4. Erosion of downstream toe of the dam by tailwater

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 1. Piping through dam and its foundation this is the progressive backward erosion which may be caused through the dam or within its foundation by the water seeping from upstream to the downstream

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 1. Piping through dam and its foundation

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 2. Conduit leakage caused due to seepage taking place by the surface of a conduit enclosed within an embankment dam, seepage of water may be from the reservoir to the downstream due to water leaking out of the conduit through cracks that might have developed due to unequal settlement of dam or by overloading from the dam cracking of a conduit may also be caused when the soil mass lying below it settles and the conduit is not sufficiently strong to support the soil mass lying above it
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 2. Conduit leakage

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 3. Sloughing of downstream face caused by the dam becoming saturated either due to the presence of highly pervious layer in the body of the dam causes soil mass to get softened and a slide of the downstream face takes place

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 2. SEEPAGE FAILURES 3. Sloughing of downstream face

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 1. Sliding due to weak foundation due to the presence of faults and seams of weathered rocks, shales, soft clay strata, foundation may not be able to withstand the pressure of the embankment dam lower slope moves outwards along with a part of the foundation and the top of the embankment subsides

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 1. Sliding due to weak foundation

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 1. Sliding due to weak foundation

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 2. Sliding of upstream face due to sudden drawdown caused by pore water pressure within the body of the dam filled up condition if the reservoir water is suddenly depleted, then the pore pressure cannot get released, which causes the upstream face of the dam to slump

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 2. Sliding of upstream face due to sudden drawdown

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 3. Sliding of the downstream face due to slopes being too steep instability may be caused to the downstream slope of an embankment dam due to the slope being too high and/or too steep in relation to the shear strength of the shoulder material

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 3. Sliding of the downstream face due to slopes being too steep

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 4. Flow slides due to liquefaction triggered by a shock or a movement, as during an earthquake, some portion of the dam or foundation may destabilize due to the phenomena called liquefaction even cohesionless soil cannot drain quickly enough as the movements are so sudden that the rate of extra loading on the soil becomes greater than the rate of drainage of the seepage water out of soil; this causes excess pore water pressure to develop, where both the effective stress and the strength decrease
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 4. Flow slides due to liquefaction under circumstances when the effective stress drops to zero, which means the soil losses all its shear strength, it behaves like a dense liquid and slides down, and the dam slumps

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 5. Damage caused by burrowing animals or water soluble materials causes the seepage water to flow out more quickly, carrying the fine material along with it this phenomena consequently leads to piping failure within the body of the dam, finally leading to a complete collapse similarly, water soluble materials within the body of the dam gets leached out along with the seepage flow causing piping and consequent failure

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 6. Embankment and foundation settlement excess settlement of the embankment and/or the foundation causes loss of free board the settlement may be more in the deeper portion of the valley, where the embankment height is more

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 6. Embankment and foundation settlement

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
CAUSES of FAILURES of EARTH DAMS 3. STRUCTURAL FAILURES 6. Embankment and foundation settlement

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS Criteria for a safe design of embankment dams: 1. Safety against hydraulic failures due to overtopping, rain cuts, wave action or tail water 2. Safety against seepage failures due to internal erosion and development of pore pressure due to insufficient drainage 3. Safety against structural stability 4. Special design requirements

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 1. SAFETY AGAINST HYDRAULIC FAILURE i. Sufficient spillway capacity should be provided to prevent overtopping of embankment during and after construction. ii. The freeboard should be sufficient enough to prevent overtopping by waves. iii. Sufficient height of dam has to be provided to take care of any future settlement and consequent loss of freeboard. iv. Upstream slope shall be protected by riprap which is a layer of rock fragments against wave action. v. The downstream slope of the embankment should be protected by turfing, that is growing of grass on the surface against erosion by rain wash
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 218 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2011 -2012 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 1. STRUCTURAL FAILURES iv. Downstream slope of embankment if affected upon by tailwater should be protected by placing riprap of 300mm thickness over proper filter layers up to 1m above the maximum tailwater.

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 2. SAFETY AGAINST SEEPAGE FAILURES i. Amount of seepage water passing through the embankment and foundation should be limited so as to control piping, erosion, sloughing and excessive loss of water. ii. The phreatic line should be well within the downstream face of the dam to prevent sloughing. iii. Seepage water through the dam or foundation should not be so high that may cause removal of fine materials from the body of the dam leading to piping failures. iv. There should not be any leakage of water from the upstream to the downstream face.
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 3. SAFETY AGAINST STRUCTURAL FAILURES i. The slope of the embankment on the upstream and downstream should be stable under all loading conditions. ii. The embankment slopes should also be flat enough so as to impose excessive stresses on the foundation, and as much, be within the permissible limits of the shear strength of the material.

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 4. SPECIAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS i. Control of cracking Cracking occurs cue to foundation settlement and/or differential movements within the embankment. In order to prevent cracking of the core material, the following measures may be adopted: a) Use of elastic clay core and rolling the core material at slightly more than optimum moisture conten.t b) Use of wider core to reduce the possibility of transverse or horizontal cracks extending through it. c) Careful selection of fill materials to reduce the differential movement.
LESSON 8 Dams CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 4. SPECIAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS i. Control of cracking d) Wide transition zones of properly graded fibers of adequate width or handling drainage, if cracks develop. e) Special treatment, such as preloading, pre-saturation, removal of weak materials, etc. to the foundation and abutment, if wanted. f) Delaying placement of core material in the crack region till most of the settlement takes place. g) Arching the dam horizontally between steep abutments.

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

EMBANKMENT DAMS
DESIGN of EARTH DAMS 4. SPECIAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS i. Control of cracking h) Flattening the downstream slope to increase slope stability in the event of saturation from crack leakage. i) Cutting back of steep abutment slopes.

LESSON 8 Dams

CE 515 WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING A.Y. 2013 -2014 1ST SEM

LET LEARNING CONTINUE.