The document discusses different types of dams including gravity dams, arch dams, and earth dams. It describes the key forces acting on dams like water pressure, weight, and uplift pressure. Important factors for selecting dam sites are discussed such as topography, construction feasibility, economics, and environment. Common causes of dam failure include substandard construction, spillway design errors, geological changes, extreme weather, and poor maintenance. In conclusion, dams are primarily built for irrigation, hydroelectric power, water supply, and flood control, so studying their design concepts is important for safe utilization.
3. Dams
Definition:
Dam is a solid barrier constructed at a suitable location across a river
valley to store flowing water.
Storage of water is utilized for following objectives:
• Hydropower
• Irrigation
• Water for domestic consumption
• Drought and flood control
• For navigational facilities
• Other additional utilization is
to develop fisheries
4. TYPES OF DAMS
1. GRAVITY DAMS:
• These dams are heavy and massive wall-like structures of concrete in
which the whole weight acts vertically downwards.
• Bhakra Dam is the highest Concrete Gravity dam in Asia and Second
Highest in the world.
• In a gravity dam, the force that holds the dam in place against the
push from the water is Earth’s gravity pulling down on the weight of
the dam itself.
• In a gravity dam, stability is secured by making it of such a size and
shape that it will resist overturning, sliding and crushing at the toe.
5. TYPES OF DAMS
2. ARCH DAMS:
• An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with
concrete.
• The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that
the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure.
• An arch dam is most suitable for narrow gorges or canyons with steep
walls of stable rock to support the structure and stresses.
6. TYPES OF DAMS
3. EARTH DAMS:
• An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. They are
mainly built with clay, sand and gravel, hence they are also known as
Earth fill dam or Rock fill dam.
• They are trapezoidal in shape.
• Earth dams are constructed where the foundation or the underlying
material or rocks are weak to support the masonry dam or where the
suitable competent rocks are at greater depth.
• Earthen dams are relatively smaller in height and broad at the base.
DISADVANTAGE:
• Water can easily pass through it.
• less durable than other type dams.
• The height of this dam is less.
7. SELECTION OF SITES
1. Topographically:
• Place must be suitable.
• Narrow gorge or small valley with enough catchment areas.
2. Technically:
• Should be strong, impermeable, and stable.
• Strong rocks leads to better designs.
• impermeable sites ensures better storage
• Stability with reference seismic shocks and slope failures around the
dam are a great relief to the public as well as the engineering.
3. Constructionally:
• Should be not far off from deposits of materials which would be
useful for construction
• Natural materials of construction Like earth, sand, gravel,
and rock should be easily feasible otherwise cost will increase.
8. SELECTION OF SITES
4. Economically:
• Benefits arising should be realistic and justified in terms
of land irrigated or power generated or floods averted or water
stored.
5. Environmentally:
• The site of the dam should not involve ecological disorder (in the
life of plants, animals and man).
• The fishes in the streams are also affected, so things should also be
considered.
• The dam and the associated reservoir should become an acceptable
element of the ecological set up of the area.
9. FORCES ACTING ON A DAM
1. Weight Of The Dam:
• In gravity dams and embankment dam the weight of the dam is the
major force acting for holding the water back on the upstream side.
• The forces arising due to the weight of the dam are compressive in
nature.
2. Water Pressure:
• The dam is required to resist horizontal forces acting due to weight of
the water impounded on it.
• This water pressure can be calculated by hydrostatic pressure
distribution.
3. Earthquake Forces:
• The disturbance in dams is highly dangerous because they store huge
volumes of water.
• Dams built in the areas known to be seismically active must be
designed to withstand additional forces that are likely to arise in a
future shock.
10. FORCES ACTING ON A DAM
4. Uplift Pressure :
• It is almost impossible to make a dam impervious structure.
• Many minute cracks and pores are left in the dam and the foundation
body.
• Water is likely to find its way into these minute openings through
seepage and gradually fill them up.
• It exerts an upward pressure on the body of the dam.
11. MAIN CAUSES OF DAM FAILURE
Common causes of dam failure include:
• Sub-standard construction materials/techniques.
• Spillway design error.
• Geological instability caused by changes to water levels during
filling or poor surveying.
• Sliding of a mountain into the reservoir.
• Poor maintenance, especially of outlet pipes.
• Extreme inflow.
• Human, computer or design error.
• Internal erosion, especially in earthen dams.
13. CONCLUSION
Generally there are mainly the three types of dam which are
selected on the basis of need of water requirement and our basic
need such as :-
• Hydropower
• Irrigation
• Water for domestic consumption
• Drought and flood control
• For navigational facilities
• Other additional utilization is to develop fisheries
• Due to some of the carelessness while the construction it hampers
the life and strength so it is necessary to study the basic concept of
the dams.
• Utilization of dam water also promotes the production of the
hydroelectricity.