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Agriculture in India

Gravity Dams:
Design, Galleries
and Joints |
Irrigation |
Agriculture
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In this article we will discuss

about:- 1. Design of Gravity
Dams 2. Galleries in Gravity
Dams 3. Joints 4. Elementary
Profile 5. Foundation
Treatment 6. Supply Sluices
7. Modes of Failure 8.
Advantages 9. Disadvantages.

Contents:

1. Design of Gravity Dams

2. Galleries in Gravity Dams
3. Joints in Gravity Dams
4. Elementary Profile of a
Gravity Dam
5. Foundation Treatment of
the Gravity Dams
6. Supply Sluices in Gravity
Dams
7. Modes of Failure of
Gravity Dams
8. Advantages of Gravity
Dams
9. Disadvantages of Gravity
Dams

1. Design of Gravity
Dams:

It is not possible to adopt

elementary profile as such,
because of certain practical
requirements. The
preliminary design of gravity
dams is done by two
dimensional gravity method
by considering the dam as
being made of a number of
cantilevers of unit length and
acting independently of
adjacent cantilevers.

(a) Effect of Top Width

Added at the Apex of
Triangular Profile:

ABC is an elementary profile

of the dam. Let a be the top
width added at the apex. The
effect of this added top width
is that the resultant of the
dam section would shift
slightly towards U/S side
when reservoir is empty. Let
AE1 and AE2 be the inner and
outer-third point lines
respectively.

Let NI be the vertical line

passing through the C.G. of
the added triangular concrete
ADK. Let NI and AE1 lines
intersect at point H. For all
the dam sections lying below
point H or section FHG the
resultant would be shifted
towards the U/S face of the
line AE1. This shift in
resultant causes development
of tension at the toe when
reservoir is empty. Hence to
avoid the possibilities of
tension at toe when dam is
empty, some batter has to be
provided to U/S face below
the plane FHG.

The depth (h’) of plane

FHG can be found out as
follows:

c is the uplift pressure

intensity coefficient. Thus
upto height h’ no batter in the
U/S face is required, but for
larger depths U/S face has to
be battered.

Now, let us consider the case

when reservoir is full of
water. The vertical line NJ
cuts the outer-third point line
AE2 at point j. Hence
resultants of all the dam
section lying below the plane
JK are again shifted to the
U/S side. To bring the
resultant back to the outer
third point line, the slopes of
D/S force have to be flattered.
Figure 13.13 shows the effect
of top width of various sizes.

From diagram it can be easily

seen that with increase in the
size of the top width, the

batter of U/S face of the dam

is increased while that of D/S
face decreased. The total
effect of addition of masonry
at the top actually causes
reduction in overall volume of
the masonry of the dam
rather than increasing it.

The most economical top

width of the gravity dam is
about 14 per cent of the
height of the dam. In case of
low dams increased top width
may be provided from
practical considerations such
as provision of roadway on
the top etc.

(b) Multiple Step Method

of Design of Gravity Dam:

In this case, the total dam

height is divided into various
zones with the help of various
horizontal sections. Each
zone, starting from top of the
dam, is deigned in such a way
that all the stability
requirement for it is fully
satisfied. The total height may
be divided into seven zones as
shown in Fig. 13.14. Brief
descriptions of conditions for
each zone are given one by
one.

Zone I:

This is the top most

rectangular part of the dam
lying above the full reservoir
level. The height of this zone
is controlled by the free board
requirements and thickness is
fixed on the basis of practical
considerations. If ice is likely
to deposit at the surface of the
reservoir, the thickness and
height of this zone is fixed on
the basis of sliding of the zone
due to ice pressure.

Zone II:

This is the zone which has

both of its faces vertical. The
position of bottom of this
zone (c.c.) is fixed, such that
the resultant passes through
the outer third point of the
plane c.c.

Zone III:

In this zone U/S face is

maintained vertical, whereas
D/S face is given the slope.
The position of the bottom of
this zone (d.d.) is fixed in
such a way that the resultant
for reservoir full and empty
conditions, pass through the
outer middle third point and
inner middle third point
respectively.

Zone IV:

In this zone U/S face of the

dam is also battered like D/S
face but batter of U/S face
with vertical is very small.
The position of the bottom of
the zone (e.e.) is fixed in such
a way that the maximum
stress developed at toe for the
condition when reservoir is
full, reach the allowable limit
of the stress for the material.
The height of the dam above
the bottom of zone IV (e.e.) is
the height of the low dam.

Zone V:

D/S slope is further flattened

in this zone so that the
maximum pressure at D/S toe
remains within the working
stress under reservoir full
condition. The resultant for
reservoir full, remains well
within middle third point of
the base of this zone. For the
reservoir empty condition,
the resultant cuts the U/S
middle third point of the base
of this zone in section ff and
stress at heel reached the
permissible limit.

Zone VI:

In this zone, the resultant

lines for both the conditions
of reservoir, full and empty,
well within the middle third
points of the base of this
zone, maximum stresses
developed at toe for reservoir
full condition and at heel for
reservoir empty condition
reach the maximum
permissible value.

Zone VII:

At the bottom of this zone the

maximum compression at the
D/S toe exceeds the
permissible limit. This zone is
generally eliminated by
revising the design of the
dam. If change in design is
not possible, then this zone is
made from superior materials
so that it may sustain the
increased stresses developed
at toe and heel.

(c) Single Step Method

for Design of High Dams:

We have seen in multiple step

method of design of the dam
that upto bottom of zone IV,
the dam is low gravity dam.
But if we go beyond the
height of low dam, U/S slope
has very steep slope whereas
D/S slope has convex shape
outwards as shown in Fig.
13.16. Convexity outwards is
not allowed. This convexity is
avoided by designing the dam
as a single block but
conforming to the conditions
laid down in zone VI. The
shape of the high dam
designed according to single
step method is shown in Fig.
13.16.

In this method the U/S face

of the dam is maintained
vertical for some depth which
may be determined as given
in Fig. 13.12 (a). Below this
section, both U/S and D/S
faces are given such slopes
that for both the conditions of
reservoir full and empty, the
stresses at toe and heel at all
the sections reach their
maximum values. This
condition can be
accomplished by performing
several trials at all the
sections. After having done
this the dam is checked again
for stability requirements for
reservoir full and empty both,
about the base of the dam.

Figure 13.16 shows super-

position of dam section,
designed according to single
step method over that
designed according to multi-
step method. It is very clear
that cubic content of the dam
designed by multi-step
method in economical. Dam
designed by multi-step
method is fully stressed at all
the heights lying below the
height of the low dam. But in
case of dam, designed
according to single step, the
section is under-stressed
everywhere except at the
base.

From the discussions

done until now, following
inferences can be easily
drawn:

1. Low dams should be

designed by multi-step
method as they prove
economical.

2. High dams beyond zone VI

should be designed by single
step method so as to avoid
convex curvature on the D/S
face.

3. It may be economical to
eliminate the zones V and VI
by using more superior
materials in the lower part of
the dam, as in that case,
permissible compressive
stress will be more and hence
higher stresses can be
sustained by the dam.

Load Combinations:

But all these forces seldom

act simultaneously on the
dam. There are some
combinations of the loads
that may act simultaneously.
Design of the dam should be
based on the most adverse
combination of “probable
load condition”.

USBR has recommended

two load combinations:

1. Standard Load
Combinations:

Under this heading three

possible combinations
are given.

(i) Horizontal water pressure,

at normal reservoir level + ice
pressure + silt pressure +
normal uplift pressure.

But this combination is

adopted where ice pressure is
considerable.

(ii) Horizontal water pressure

at normal reservoir level +
earthquake pressure + silt
pressure + normal uplift
pressure.

(iii) Horizontal water

pressure at H.F.L. + silt
pressure + normal uplift
pressure.

2. Extreme Load
Combination:

Maximum flood water

elevation + silt pressure +
extreme uplift with all the
drains choked.

While designing the dam,

whatever load combination
might have been considered,
the design must be checked
for reservoir empty condition
also. This condition is
primarily important for
testing stresses inside the
dam and around the openings
provided in the body of the
dam.

2. Galleries in Gravity
Dams:

Galleries have to be left in the

gravity dams during their
construction. The size of the
galleries depends upon the
purpose, they have to
perform. The galleries may be
aligned both along the axis
and across the axis of the
dam. They are provided at all
the levels of the dam.

All the galleries are given

some longitudinal slope and
small channels along both the
edges of the galleries are
formed. Seeping water
through the dam section is
collected by the channels
running along the galleries.
Since channels have
longitudinal slope, the
collected water in channels
keeps on flowing