MAHARASHTRA STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC, GADCHIROLI

Micro Project: “Prepare Chart On Gravity Dam.”

“Diploma in Civil Engineering”

2024-2025
WRE
(22501)
CE-5I

ROLL NO. ENROLLMENT NO. NAME OF STUDENT

05 2201990010 Krantikumar Manohar kaveri

GUIDENCE BY
Mr. R. L. Rohanker
(Lecturer in Civil Engg. Dept.)
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC GADCHIROLI
 MAHARASHTRA STATE BOARD Of TECHNICAL EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC, GADCHIROLI.

SUBMISSION

We are the students of second year of the course Diploma Civil Engineering humbly submitted that we
have completed project work "Prepare Report on Gravity Dam as describes in this report by our own
skills and study between the period 2024-2025 as per the guidance of Mr. R. L. ROHANKAER and
that the following students were associated this work.

SUBMITED BY

Roll NO. ENROLLMENT NO. NAME OF STUDENT SIGNATURE

05 2201990010 Krantikumar Manohar kaveri
 MAHARASHTRA STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Microproject No.12 Roll of Fifth semester Diploma in CIVIL Engineering
has completed the micro Project satisfactorily in “Water resource engineering” (22501) for the
academic year 2024-2025 As prescribed in the MSBTE curriculum.

ROLL NO. ENROLLMENT NO. NAME OF STUDENT

05 2201990010 Krantikumar Manohar kaveri

Mr. R.L. Rohankar Mr. V.A. Dahikar Dr. A. B. Borade

(LEC. IN CIVIL ENGINEERING) (HOD) (PRINCIPAL)
 Annexure –I

Part – A Micro-Project Proposal

TITLE OF MICRO-PROJECT

“Prepare Chart On Gravity Dam.”

1.0 Aims/Benefits of the Micro Project : Prepare Chart On Gravity Dam.

Benefits:

Simple Design and Construction: Gravity dams rely on their massive weight to resist the force of water,
so they typically have a straightforward design with fewer complex components. This can simplify
construction and reduce the need for advanced technology.

Stability and Durability: The heavy concrete or stone structure ensures that the dam is highly stable and
resistant to water pressure. Their solid, robust nature allows them to last for many decades with minimal
maintenance.

Cost-Effectiveness (for Certain Conditions): Gravity dams are often more cost-effective in areas where
construction materials like concrete or stone are readily available. The weight-based design reduces the
need for expensive reinforcement.

1.2 Course Outcomes Addressed:

• 1.Draw theoretical and practical profile of given dam section.

• 2.Suggest preventive measure for the given type of dam failure with justification.
• 3.Draw a labeled sketch of given type of dam.

3.0 Proposed Methodology :

• Take guideline from subject teacher about project.

• Collect information about topic of micro project.
• Submit the Proposal of Project to the subject teacher.
4.0. ACTION PLAN:

Sr. No. Details of Planned Planned Name of

activity start date finish Responsible
date team member
1 Selecting
topic
2 Discussion on
project
3 Collecting
Data
4 Working on
project
5 Working on
draft

5.0 Resources Required

Sr. No Name of resources Specification Qty Remarks

/materials
01 References books WATER RESOURCE 1
ENGINEERING

Name of Student with Roll. No.

ROLL NO. ENROLLMENT NO. NAME OF STUDENT

05 2201990010 Krantikumar Manohar kaveri

 Annexure –II
Part – B Micro-Project Proposal

“Prepare Chart On Gravity Dam.”

1.0 Rational:

A rational gravity dam is a theoretical or conceptual model of a gravity dam that is designed using rational
principles of engineering and physics, with the goal of ensuring stability and optimal performance under
various loading conditions. Gravity dams rely on their own weight to resist the forces of water pressure and
other environmental factors.
While the term "rational gravity dam" may not be a widely used term in engineering practice, it likely refers to
the application of rational design and analysis methods to the traditional gravity dam concept. The goal is to
optimize the dam’s safety and functionality while using a scientific, systematic approach to design.

1.2 Aims/Benefits of the Micro Project :

Aims: “Prepare Chart On Gravity Dam.”

Benefits:
Simple Design and Construction: Gravity dams rely on their massive weight to resist the force of water,
so they typically have a straightforward design with fewer complex components. This can simplify
construction and reduce the need for advanced technology.

Stability and Durability: The heavy concrete or stone structure ensures that the dam is highly stable and
resistant to water pressure. Their solid, robust nature allows them to last for many decades with minimal
maintenance.

Cost-Effectiveness (for Certain Conditions): Gravity dams are often more cost-effective in areas where
construction materials like concrete or stone are readily available. The weight-based design reduces the
need for expensive reinforcement.

1.4 Course Outcomes Addressed

• 1.Draw theoretical and practical profile of given dam section.

• 2.Suggest preventive measure for the given type of dam failure with justification.
• 3.Draw a labeled sketch of given type of dam.
Literature Review.

Gravity Dams
A gravity dam is a structure designed to withstand loads by its own weight and by its resistance to
sliding and overturning on its foundation. Newer dams of this type are typically composed of
unreinforced concrete monoliths with seals at the joints. Foremost among the world's gravity dams is
the 285-meter-high (935-foot-high) Grande Dixence in Switzerland, completed in 1961. In past
centuries, many gravity dams were constructed of stone masonry.

New masonry dams, of both gravity and arch designs, are being built in India and China and in other
lands where the cost of labor is low. Also of historic interest is the filled crib, the stability of which
depends upon the weight of earth or rockfill enclosed in cells formed by a framework of timbers or
concrete beams. Such dams, common a hundred years ago, were usually faced with timber planking.

Hydro Power

The dam of the TGP is a concrete gravity dam with crest length 2309.5 m, crest elevation 185 m, and
maximum height 181 m. In total 16 million m3 of concrete is used for the construction of the dam.
The dam consists of four parts: the spillway section in the middle of the riverbed,
the powerhouse sections on the left and right sides, the sections of ship lift and temporary ship lock on
the left bank, and the non-overflow sections on both left and right banks.
The design standard for earthquake resistance is that the basic seismic intensity is considered as degree
VI and the intensity of degree VII is adopted for the dam design.

Dams in Afghanistan

The Almar dam is a $51 million, concrete gravity dam (64 m high × 240 m crest length) for irrigation,
which was proposed by the Ministry of Energy and Water and, supposedly, to be funded by
Afghanistan. The dam site is located in Faryab Province on the Almar River in the Amu Darya basin
(Tables 9.8 and 9.9; Figs. 9.25 and 9.26). The dam is to be completed in four phases covering all the
requisite infrastructure (10 km road, etc.), dam, canals and sluices.
Dams and Reservoirs

5.15 Arch Dam Design

The principle of design of an arch dam is greatly different from that of a gravity dam. The majority of
the strength required to resist the water thrust is obtained by arching the dam upstream and transferring
the load to the abutments.

The abutments must therefore be completely sound. The theory of design is complex, with the dam
resisting the water thrust partly by cantilever action from the base and partly by arching action
from abutment to abutment. An arch dam acts in compression and can be much thinner than a gravity
dam – e.g. Mudhiq (Plate 5(b)).

Early designs were based on the ‘trial load’ procedure. The dam was assumed to consist of unit width
cantilevers one way and unit width arches the other. The water load at each point was then divided
between the ‘cantilevers’ and ‘arches’ so that their deflections at every point matched.

The modern method is to construct a three-dimensional finite element model of the dam to evaluate
stresses under various loadings. Physical models have also been used to measure strains and to give a
first approximation to the likely distribution of stresses, and to then act as a check on the mathematical
calculations.

There are many variations from the simple uniform arch shape; the most economic section is curved
both vertically and horizontally and results in the horizontal arches varying in radii with level. A dam of
this kind is called a double curvature dam and is especially economical in the use of concrete.

River and flood diversions are usually taken in tunnels through the abutments; flood overspill may be
passed over a central spillway. Arch concrete dams are among the highest in the world and are
inherently stable when the foundations and abutments are solid and watertight.

However, the stresses in the concrete of the dam and in the foundations and abutments can be very high,
so that the utmost care needs to be taken in the site investigations and in the design and the construction.
Whatever may be the results of the theoretical analyses of forces and stresses on the dam, sufficient
reserve strength must be included in the design to meet unknown weaknesses.
Dam break analysis and flood inundation mapping: The case study of Sefid-Roud
Dam, Iran

31.2 Study area description

Sefid-Roud Dam is located in a Giulan province, Iran. The dam is Buttress-Gravity-Dam with a wall
height of 106 m, crest length of 425 m, crest width of 8 m, and reservoir volume of 1198 million m3.
The total volume of output discharge from the dam is estimated as ~ 6000 m3/s. The dam consists of
two glory hole spillways, two lateral spillways, and five gates and is constructed on the Sefid-Roud
River (the second largest river in Iran) where the two rivers (Shahroud and Qilzil Ouzan rivers)
combine (Fig. 31.1).

The most important cities and villages downstream of the dam are Aliabad-e-Paein, Roudbar, dolatabad,
Ganjeh, Jouben, Tutkabon, and Rostamabad at distances of 0.4, 5.8, 12, 14, 17, 20, and 20 km
downstream of the dam, respectively. The main highway of Tehran-Rasht passes close to these cities. In
the catchment, the main land use is olive groves and rice paddies. The mean annual rainfall and
temperature of the study area are ~ 1200 mm and 16°C, respectively. In this study, dam break analysis
is performed for a distance of ~ 21 km downstream of the dam.
6.14.6.2 Fengman Hydropower Structure in China
Fengman complex (Figure 12) lies on Songhua river, Jilin province, north China. It includes
a hydropower plant and a gravity dam (with the height 90.5 m). The winter temperature in this area is
around –30 °C. This project was built in 1937. The rock cracks in the dam foundations were not given
any treatment during construction and the quality of the concrete was very bad. As a result, the seepage
in the corridor is very serious and the upstream face has deteriorated severely due to water freezing. In
1986, during the spillway spillage period, huge blocks of the spillway surface were flushed away and
rehabilitation had to be implemented.

Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Geo-Systems

2.4 The mechanisms of the dam-foundation interaction for creep analysis

A dam and its rock foundation are the two integral parts of a system. Different types of dams have
different interaction behaviours between the two parts. Project practices show that for concrete gravity
dams, the rock foundations have significant influence on the stress behaviours of the concrete dams up
to one-third of the dam height from the base. The effect is small in other parts. For arch dams, on the
other hand, the rock foundations have significant influences on the stress and behaviour of the whole
dam body. For both gravity and arch dams, their rock foundations affect significantly the deformations
of the concrete dams. Therefore, for stress analysis of the dam-foundation system of gravity dams, the
series combination creep model is applied for the first one-third of 1/3 dam height from the base and the
parallel combination creep model is applied to the rest. In terms of strain, this relationship can be
expressed as

1ε=1εc+1εr

for the first one-third part of the dam body and

ε=εc+εr

for the rest, where εc and εr are the strains of dam concrete and foundation rock, respectively. The εc can
be obtained from equation (3) or (4) and εr from equation (6) or (7).
6.04.2.4 The Power Plant
The Itaipu power plant is formed by 20 generating units, each with a capacity of 700 MW.
The powerhouse is located immediately downstream of the dam, in the central part of the river. The
power intake is located on top of the hollow gravity dam and allows short penstocks to reach the
generating units.

A special characteristic of the Itaipu power plant is that half of the units generate power in 60 Hz and
half in 50 Hz, respectively, according to frequencies of the Brazilian and Paraguayan electrical systems.
The power generated at 18 kV is transformed at the GIS step-up substation, located immediately
upstream of the powerhouse, to 500 kV, and from there connected to the respective systems in each
country. As mentioned earlier, each country has the right to purchase and use the excess power not used
for domestic supply. For that reason the Brazilian side is also connected to the 50 Hz generating system
and in Brazil is converted into direct current, transmitted to the São Paulo area, reconverted to AC
60 Hz and fed into the country integrated transmission system.
Figure 5 depicts a typical transversal section of the powerhouse with indication of its main installation
features.

All power intakes are identical in configuration, design, and equipment. The Itaipu plant was planned to
operate as a run-of-river plant, with a normal maximum drawdown of 1 m with possibility, in an
emergency situation at the spillway, to deplete the reservoir level to the elevation of the spillway
sill. Figure 6 shows a typical cross section of the power intake.
The penstocks are made of welded steel, with an internal diameter of 10.5 m, and feed directly to the
turbines as indicated in Figure 5. They are anchored to the dam and embedded in second-stage concrete
placed in a large blockout in the face of the dam.

The powerhouse is an independent 968 m long structure located at the toe of the main dam. It contains
the 20 bays of the units, along with two equipment erection and maintenance areas, and miscellaneous
areas for technicians and operators. The central control room is located downstream from the
powerhouse in an independent building. Figure 7 shows a sketchy representation of the powerhouse
arrangement and an external view of the powerhouse and administration building.

Each unit bay is 34 m wide and is 94 m high, from El. 50 to El. 144. It houses a turbine-generator unit,
three main unit single-phase step-up transformers, switchgear, and mechanical and electrical auxiliary
equipment.
The right-bank erection area has an unloading, unpacking, and preassembly area at El. 144 and is served
by two 2.5 kN cranes accessing the main assembly area at El. 108. This main assembly area is 141.3 m
long and 29 m wide. The central erection area has also an unpacking and preassembly area at El. 144
with another two 2.5 kN cranes that can also access the main assembly area.
6.12.7 New Hydroelectric Schemes Presently under Construction in Switzerland

Several projects to increase the installed capacity, and especially for producing peak energy, are
presently under construction in Switzerland. Among them, the three main ones are the following.

6.12.7.1 The Nant de Dranse Scheme

The Nant de Dranse scheme is a development of the Emosson high head storage scheme.
Emosson arch dam is located on the Swiss-French border in the Canton du Valais, between Martigny
and Chamonix. Its extension is called the ‘Nant de Dranse 600 MW Project’.
It connects the reservoir of the ‘Vieil Emosson’, a concrete gravity dam which has a reservoir capacity
of 11 400 000 m3 situated at elevation 2205 m, with the reservoir of the Emosson arch dam, having a
reservoir capacity of 210 000 000 m3 at elevation 1930 and with adding an underground power house
equipped with four Francis pump–turbine of 150 MW each, to produce peak energy by pumping during
the low-demand energy and then to turbine during the peak hours (Figure 13).

6.12.7.2 The Linthal 2015 Project

The Linthal 2015 project is a development of the Linth-Limmern high head storage scheme by
extending with a pump–turbine power house with a capacity of 1000 MW.
The storage capacity of the natural lake of Mutt will be increased from 12 000 000 to 25 000 000 m3,
from elevation 2446 to 2474 m, by building a gravity dam which is 35 m high.
The water of the lower reservoir of the Linth-Limmern arch dam at elevation 1857 will therefore be
pumped during the low-demand hours to the upper reservoir, 600 m higher, and turbined during the
peak hours. The installed pump capacity, as well as the turbine installed capacity, will be 1000 MW.
The work should be completed by 2015 (Figure 14).
6.11.2.4.2 The golden age of dam engineering in Spain

Since the Roman times the construction of dams in Spain has been common, due to the semiarid nature
of a good part of the territory and the temporal irregularity of precipitation and runoffs. Since then, and
throughout all the periods, dams have been essential in social and economic development. Dam
engineering has always been level with the world’s best with important and numerous constructions,
even during unfavorable periods, as previously mentioned. This important and continuous experience
reached its climax from 1960 with the conjunction of all the mentioned factors, which favored the
building of important dams with different purposes. We can therefore affirm that the 1960s and 1970s
were the golden age of dam engineering in Spain. From all the dams of this golden age, those built for
hydroelectric purposes stand out, most of them among the highest dams built in Spain (Table 3). This
golden age of dam engineering was so especially in the construction of arch dams in general and
double-curvature dams in particular, but also with a few important examples of buttress dams and
embankment dams.

n the Duero System the arch-gravity dam of Aldeadávila, 140 m high, and the double-curvature dam of
Almendra, 202 m high, were built in this period. The first was finished in 1963 and is located in an
impressive granite canyon formed by the Duero river. A double-curvature dam was the first selection,
but the high floods made them opt for the arch-gravity type. It is one of the most beautiful Spanish
dams, not only for the surroundings but also for the dam itself. In 1970, the Almendra double-curvature
dam was finished, the highest in Spain, which rises beyond the closed topography, thanks to two
gravity abutments on which it is supported. For the closure of the lateral troughs, a buttress dam and an
embankment dam with a bituminous concrete face were built (see Section 6.11.3).
In the Sil Sytem, the construction of the Santa Eulalia ended in 1967. It had the slimmest and most
curved double-curvature dam ever built in Spain (Figure 26). Most of the building equipment that was
later used to build the great Almendra dome was fine tuned here. In the same system, the Las Portas
double-curvature dam was finished in 1975, with a height of 141 m, which was the third highest
hydroelectric dam (Figure 26).
The Belesar dam, on the Miño river and 132 m high, and the Valdecañas dam, on the Tajo river, 78 m
high with a singular arrangement, with the power station at the base of the dam, protected by a small
arch cofferdam and with spillways in tunnels on both sides (Figure 27), were built in 1963 and 1964.
Other double-curvature dams built during these years included La Jocica (1964), 87 m high and very
narrow, and that of La Barca (1966), 74 m high, over the Cantabrian Narcea river. The Susqueda dam
(1968) was built over the Ter river, with a height of 135 m.

Among the buttress dams we must mention that of José María de Oriol (1969), associated to
the Alcántara reservoir, with a height of 130 m and a double-buttress or ‘Marcello’ type, which was a
world record for its height in this type of dam until the Itaipu dam was built. This dam changed the
single-buttress dam type used in profusion throughout the 1950s and 1960s by hydroelectric companies.
It was also the last important dam of this type built in Spain (Figure 28).
5.0 Actual Resources Used

Reference Book- Water resource Engineering.

By-Nishant A. Upadhye

6.0 Outputs of the Micro-Projects

• Identify the main idea.

• Identify the specific details.
• Distinguish main idea from details.
• Distinguish from opinions.

7.0 Skill Developed / Learning outcome of this micro-Project

• We can understand the importance of self prepare a work.

• We have to learn about how to do presentation.
• We can learn how to develop micro Project.
• Increase communication skills.

8.0Applications of this micro-Project

The application of the micro project is used in a daily work with student and to make micro project
presentation and pouring the benefit of micro project what is profitable make micro project presentation
and following the benefit of micro project what is profitable as well as Micro-Project using.

9.0 CONCLUSION:

The conclusion regarding the gravity of a dam focuses on its importance as a type of concrete dam
designed to rely on its own weight to resist the forces exerted by the water. Gravity dams are typically
used in locations where the foundation is strong enough to support the massive weight of the structure.
They are highly efficient in terms of stability and require less complex engineering compared to other
types of dams. The dam's weight effectively counteracts the hydrostatic pressure of the water, making it
a reliable and safe choice for water retention and flood control.

In conclusion, the gravity dam is a crucial structure in civil engineering, providing vital infrastructure
for water storage, power generation, and flood prevention, while maintaining a robust balance between
simplicity, safety, and effectiveness. Proper design, material selection, and site analysis are essential to
ensure the dam’s long-term stability and functionality.

10.0 References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/gravity-dam