Sharif University of Technology

Civil Engineering Department

Tehran-Iran

Dam Safety
An Approach to Prevent

Dam Incidents

Dam failure

results in a catastrophic
break followed by a flood wave often with
considerable loss of life or property

Safety

during Design, Construction, Operation,

Maintenance, and Surveillance of dams
Past incidents of unacceptable performance can
help us in understanding of method of detection
and expand our knowledge on behavior of dams
and
reservoir
and
this
simulates
further
improvements
in
design,
maintenance
and
surveillance of dams

Main causes of Dam Failure

Failure of Concrete Dams

Lack of shear strength and discontinuity in foundation

Excessive uplift in the foundation (inadequate or non-existent drainage)
Lack of dam stability
Excessive or differential deformation of the foundation
Piping and erosion in the foundation caused by high permeability
Flaw in design
Lack of supervision during construction
No monitoring or warning system (systems were out of order)
Cont. next page

Main causes of Dam Failure

Failure of Concrete Dams (cont. )

Human error during site investigation and design and

construction and operation
Inadequate foundation investigation
Incomplete data on available material
Poor design
Negligible construction supervision
Incomplete first impoundment
Incorrect operation of flood gates
Insufficient monitoring and data analysis
Lack of preventive measures or repair work

Main Causes of Dam Failure

Embankment Dam Failure

Overtopping during flood discharge because of inadequate

spillway capacity or non-functioning flood gate
Internal erosion along the dam-foundation interface or along
embankment with adjoining or embeded appurtunent structures
or concentrated piping in the embankment itself because of
inadequate or non-existent filter zones
Nonhomogeneity in the foundation or dam (leading to
foundation failure or erosion )
Large settlement in the foundation
Crack following the settlement, with resulting piping effect
liquefaction

Failure Prevention

Failure could have been prevented if some of these points had

been observed
Failure is a complex process
Begins with some abnormality in behaviour (not detected)
Consequent deteriorations (not observed)
Further damage or disaster

Inspection and Monitoring of

dams as well as data analysis
and interpretation has a
critical role in the field of dam
safety

Dam Safety Guidelines

Intended to offer a comprehensive review:

Dam
-design -operation -construction
maintenance -surveillance
Recommendations rather than binding regulations
Guidelines are not standards
Details dealt with as necessary

Dam Safety Procedure

(adapted for Iran)
Dam Safety Procedure
General Plan

Owner

Monitoring

Emergency Action
Plan (EAP)

Consultant
Companies

Periodic Dam
Safety Review

Dam Retrofitting

MONITORING

Instrumentation and Surveillance

External and internal examination of dams during their

life time
Long term surveillance program
Ensure dams owner of their safe operation
Monitoring

Measure Displacement
Settlement
Strain
Piezometric pressure
Seepage
Uplift
Water level
Alarm System

Compilation of Results,
Interpretation,
Recommendation,
To take appropriate action

MONITORING
Instrumentation

To characterize dam site and dam structure condition

To verify Design
To asses safety
To asses performance

Thank You