Concrete Face Rockfill Dams

Modern Concrete Face Rockfill Dams

Widely used in South America, China,

Australia

Very limited use in USA and most of

Europe

Not popular in NZ, but at least 2 CFRD

designs are now being considered
 Concrete Face Rockfill Dams

A brief description of CFRD design

An Outline of CFRD development

Some Australian experience

Standard Cross-Section for Sound Rock
Typical Cross Section Large Dams

Standard crosssection used for dams with

Sound rock foundation

Sound, free draining rockfill or gravel fill

Section requires some modifications for

High dams; H > 150m

Low permeability, soft rockfill

Extreme earthquake loadings

 CFRD Advantages

Lower cost than ECRD

Less problems with wet weather construction

Haul road construction within embankment

Grouting separated from fill placement

Limited area for high quality foundation
treatment
Less risk with river diversion
 CFRD Development
1850 to 1900; timber faced dams up to 25m
Concrete face slabs introduced 1885

1900 to 1940; concrete face dams up to 100m

Performed safely but facing damaged from
settlement & leakage became a problem
1940; ECRD designs developed
1940 to 1965; CFRD largely replaced by
ECRD
New Exchequer Dam

150m CFRD using dumped

rockfill in 1966

Max Leakage 14,000 l/sec

Not a dam safety issue

Major repair costs over a
long period
Serious loss of water
 CFRD Development

1955 to 1965; Dumped rockfill largely

replaced by compacted rockfill
New CFRD designs emerge using compacted
rockfill
110m high Cethana Dam completed in 1971
Extensive instrumentation confirmed design

Provided confidence to proceed with larger dams

Cethana Dam
 Modern CFRD
Some 23 CFRD dams built in Australia
Heights from 40m to 122m
All operating in a satisfactory manner
China 111, 20 over 135m in height
South America 56
Europe, mostly Spain & Romania - 41
USA - 8
 CFRD Design
Design is empirical based on experience rather
than theoretical analysis
Stability (limit equilibrium) analyses, FEM
analyses normally not required.
Settlement typically 0.1 to 0.4% of dam height
compatible with concrete face
Leakage is not a dam safety issue
Inherently safe against strong earthquake
shaking
Face Slab
Face Slab
Staged Construction of Face Slab
Parapet Walls
Parapet Wall for Campos Novos Dam
Plinth or Toe Slab
Foundation Hyd Gradient
Quality H/L
Fresh 20
SW to MW 10
MW to HW 5
HW 2
Plinth or Toe on Erodible Foundation
Reinforced shotcrete reduces the hydraulic gradient
Reverse filters allow seepage to emerge under
controlled conditions
Slipformed Plinth Itapebi
U/S Kerb Construction
 Face Slab Compressive Stresses
Face slab compression issue largely ignored
Face slab cracking over full length of central
joint on first filling
Sudden increase in leakage
Dam Height Maximum Construction
m Leakage Modulus
l/sec MPa
Campos 202 1,500 70
Novos,2005
Barra Grande, 185 1,280 50
2005
Mohale, 2006 145 600 30-50
Compos Novos after First Filling
Campos Novos Face Failures
Mohale Dam, Lesotho
Valley Shape & Modulus (Nelson Pinto)
Design Modifications High Dams,
Narrow Valleys
Increased rockfill compaction
6 to 8 passes of 12 tonne roller
Eliminate low modulus Zone 3C
Thicker slabs in centre of dam with
reinforcement in both faces
Soft vertical joints

Impervious fill upstream to 40 or 50% height

 FEM Analyses
Face slab failures generated much interest in
FEM analyses.
Difficulties with interaction between face slab
and rockfill
Results not reproducing experience
Empirical approach based on experience
main instrument for CFRD design
Salvajina Dam Columbia (148m)
 Soft Rockfill
Low strength rockfill, UCS <30 MPa.
Strength and low modulus from high density
Pieces of rock in a matrix of fines
Contrasts with hard rockfill where strength from
wedging and interlocking of rock
Placement procedures selected to produce
breakdown & high density
Layer thickness, compaction & water
Low permeability, requires drainage zones
Kangaroo Creek Dam SA (66m)
Mangrove Creek Dam NSW (80m)
Crotty Dam Spillway
Design discharge 245 m3/sec

Design Head 5.0 m

Broad crested weir control

12.4m wide chute slipformed

4 aeration slots at articulated
joints
Anchored to rockfill
Flip bucket