All Forces acting on a Dam

Counteracting Force : OWN WEIGHT

Failure of a Gravity Dam is due to:
Sliding; overturning; overstressing (crushing)
a) Overturning: factor of safety = 2 3 about Toe
b) Overstressing: compression crushing (fails by failure of its material)
Fall < 30 kg / cm2
No tension (if tension is developed < 5 kg / cm2)
c) Sliding:
i) F.S.S (Factor of safety against sliding)
ii) S.F.F (Shear friction factor)

q = shear strength of joint
= 14 40 kg / cm
2

To resist sliding:
1- Stepped bed
2- Key wall at heel
Preparing surface of foundation:
1- Remove all loose soil up to hard bed rock
2- By excavation, avoid damage of underlying soil
3- By faults, entirely excavated, washed, then filled with concrete or
grouted.

Dimensioning of a gravity dam cross section


Assumptions for the design of a gravity dam
The various assumptions made in two-dimensional designs of gravity dams are:
(i) The dam is considered to be composed of a number of cantilevers, each of which is
1 m thick and each of which acts independent of the other;
(ii) No loads are transferred to the abutments by beam action;
(iii) The foundation and the dam behave as a single unit, the joint being perfect;
(iv) The materials in the foundation and body of the dam are isotropic and homogeneous;
(v) The stresses developed in the foundation and body of the dam are within elastic
limits;
(vi) No movements of the foundations are caused due to transference of loads;
(vii)Small openings made in the body of the dam do not affects the general distribution of
stresses and they only produce local effects as per St. Vennants principal.

ANALYTICAL METHOD
The vertical stresses at the toe and heel

GRAPHICAL METHOD


For each section, the sum of the vertical forces ( ) and the sum of all the
horizontal forces ( ) acting above that particular section, are worked out
and the resultant force should lie within the middle third of the base.
Hence, a low gravity dam is the one whose height is less than that given by the
following equation
Then, if the height of the dam is bigger than this height, it is classified as a high
gravity dam
Low And High Gravity Dam

For the normal values of stresses, the limiting height of a low concrete gravity dam
is

where w = 1 t/m3
Ss = 2.4
f = 300 t/m2 or (30 Kg/cm2)

Thus, an increase in top width will increase the masonry in the added element and
increase it on the u/s face, but shall reduce it on d/s faces. The most economical top
width, without considering earthquake forces has been found by greater or equal to
14% of the dam height. Its usual value varies between 6 to 10 m and it is generally
taken approximately equal to , where H is the height of max. water level above
bed.
Empirical Dimensions of Gravity
Dam