- Causes of Failure of Earth Dams

Criteria for Safe Design of Earth

Student name:Ahmed Moayad Jameel

1- Introduction :

Earthen Dams are the dams which are built with highly compacted soil or rock fragments.
Earthen dams and earthen levees are the most ancient type of embankments, as they can be
built with the natural materials with a minimum of processing and primitive equipment. This
dam is classified as a type of embankment dam, being built in the shape of an embankment or
wedge which blocks a waterway. These dams have been built by various human societies for
centuries, and they continue to be produced in some regions of the world when they appear to
be suitable for the location and intended use. Earth dams can be very cost effective to build,
which makes them appealing in some regions of the world. They can be made with local
materials, cutting down on the expenses involved in acquiring and transporting materials to the
dam site. In addition to earth, earth dams also often contain rock, and may be filled with a core
of rock. Clay is another building material utilized in the core region of the earth dams to fully cut
the seepage through the body of the dams. The design of an earth dam may be solid and
consistent all the way through, or it may include layers of material. Layered materials may create
an avenue for drainage which is designed to relieve pressure in emergencies. The weight of the
dam as a whole creates a tight seal which secures the bottom and sides of thedam and the
pressure of the water behind the dam can also act to seal the dam in place. Likewise mass
concrete dams, earthen dams may also be utilized in number of purposes such as flood control,
irrigation, domestic water supply and power generation etc. Numerous designs can be used and
software programs designed for engineering earth dams can be utilized to test possible scenarios
to confirm that the earth dam will be safe once it is finished. For earthen dams safety measures
are very important. It may fail in many ways such as overtopping, seepage, cracks etc. If the
earth dam is overtopped, it can erode the material from the dam, making it weak and prone to
failure. Repeated overtopping can eventually result in a catastrophic collapse of the dam. Earth
dams can also experience seepage and structural failure caused by poor engineering and
planning. An earth fill dam, like other types of dams, benefits from routine inspection and
maintenance. Inspections ensure that any problems with the dam are identified in the early
stages, so that they can be addressed before the dam fails. Maintenance keeps the dam in good
condition, reducing the risk of a catastrophic failure which could lead to loss of life and financial
losses in communities located downstream side of the dam .The aim of the present paper is to
study critically various modes of failure of earthen dams and also measures are suggested to
control it.
 2 . definition:

CAUSES OF FAILURE OF EARTHEN DAMS Failures of earthen embankment dams or dikes can
generally be grouped into three categories such as hydraulic, seepage and structural.

1. HYDRAULIC FAILURE:

Hydraulic failures from the uncontrolled flow of water over and adjacent to the embankment
are due to the erosive action of water on the embankment slopes. Various modes of failure of
earthen dams are shown in Table 1. Earth embankments or dikes are not normally designed to
be overtopped and therefore are particularly susceptible to erosion. A well vegetated earth
embankment or dike may withstand limited overtopping if its top is levelled and water flows
over the top and down the face in an evenly distributed sheet without becoming concentrated in
any one area [1, 7].

2. SEEPAGE FAILURE :

Most embankments exhibit some seepage. However, this seepage must be controlled in velocity and
quantity. Seepage occurs through the earthen embankment or dike and/or through its foundation.
Seepage, if uncontrolled, can erode fine soil material from the downstream slope or foundation and
continue moving towards the upstream slope to form a pipe or cavity to the pond or lake often leading
to a complete failure of the embankment. This action is known as “piping.” Seepage failures account for
approximately 40 percent of all embankments or dyke failures. Seepage can also cause slope failures by
saturating the slope material, thereby weakening the adhesive properties of the soil and its stability.
Burrows or holes created by animals such as the groundhog, woodchuck, or muskrat create voids in the
embankment or dyke, which weaken the structure and may serve as a pathway for seepage. Tree roots
can provide a smooth surface for seepage to travel along. When trees die, their decaying roots may leave
passageways for seepage to concentrate in. Pipes through the embankment may also provide smooth
surfaces for seepage to concentrate along as well [1, 7].

3. STRUCTURAL FAILURE:

Structural failures involve the separation (rupture) of the embankment material and/or its
foundation. Structural failure of an earthen embankment may take on the form of a slide or
displacement of material in either the downstream or upstream face. Sloughs, bulges, cracks or
other irregularities in the embankment or dike generally are signs of serious instability and may
indicate structural failure Structural failures can occur in either the embankment or the
appurtenances. Structural failure of a spillway, lake drain, or other appurtenance may lead to
failure of the embankment. Cracking, settlement, and slides are the more common signs of
structural failure of embankments. Large cracks in either an appurtenance or the embankment,
major settlement, and major slides will require emergency measures to ensure safety, especially
if these problems occur suddenly. If this type of situation occurs, the lake level should be
lowered, the appropriate state and local authorities notified, and professional advice sought.
4. OTHER TYPE OF FAILURES:

Trees growth on an earthen embankment or dike can be a contributing factor in the failure of an
earthen structure and part of any one of the three previously described type of failures. Tree growth
directly on the crest or top of the structure could lead to a hydraulic failure should the tree be blown
over. This may displace embankment material within the root ball creating a low area susceptible to
flows from the impoundment. Tree root systems may also create seepage paths through an earthen
embankment or dike and structural failure of an upstream or downstream slope could occur with the
displacement of a large tree implanted within the earth slope.
1. CONCLUSIONS:

After the critical study regarding failure modes of earthen dams and their remedial measures it was
found that: (i) The Earth Dam may fail by Hydraulic failure. About 40% of earth dam failure have been
attributed to hydraulic failure. These may be due to overtopping, wave erosion, top erosion and gullying.
(ii) The Earth Dam may fail due to excessive seepage. More than 1/3rd of the earth dams have failed
because of these reasons. Uncontrolled Seepage can erode fine soil material from the downstream slope
or foundation and continue moving towards the upstream slope to form a pipe or cavity to the pond or
lake often leading to a complete failure of the embankment.

Topic(2) Criteria for Safe Design of Earth Dams:

Introduction :

An earth Dam must be safe and stable during phases of construction and operation of the

reservoir. The practical criteria for the design of earth dams may be stated as follows:

a. The embankment must be safe against overtopping during occurrence of the

inflow design flood by the provision of sufficient spillway and outlet works

capacity.

b. The dam must have sufficient free board so that it is not overtopped by wave

action.

c. The seepage line should be well within the downstream face so that no

sloughing of the slope takes place.

d. Seepage through the embankment, foundation and abutments must be

controlled by suitable design provisions so that no internal erosion takes place.

The amount of water lost through seepage must be controlled so that it does not

interfere with planned project functions.

e. There should be no opportunity for free passage of water from upstream to the

downstream either through the dam or through the foundation.

f. The portion of the downstream of impervious core should be properly drained.

g. The upstream and downstream slopes should be so designed that they are safe
during and immediately after the construction.

h. The downstream slope should be so designed that it is safe during steady

seepage case under full reservoir condition.

i. The upstream slope should be stable during rapid drawdown condition.

j. The upstream and downstream slopes of the dam should be flat enough so that

shear stress induced in the foundation is enough less than the shear strength of

the material in the foundation to ensure a suitable factor of safety.

k. The dam as a whole should be earthquake resistant.

l. The upstream slope must be protected against erosion by wave action, and the

crest and downstream slope must be protected against erosion due to wind and

rain

Selection of Earth Dam The preliminary design of an earth dam is done on the basis of past experience
and on the basis of the performance of the dams built in the past. Selection is based on:

Top width

b. Free board

c. Casing or outer shells

d. Central impervious core

e. Cut off trench

f. Downstream drainage system

Top Width

Crest width of an earth dam depends on the following considerations:

i. Nature of the embankment materials and minimum allowance percolation

distance through the embankment at normal reservoir level.

iii. Width of highway on top of the dam

iv. Practicability of construction

v. Protection against earth quake forces

Empirical expressions for the top width b of the earth dam, in terms of height Z of the dam:

2.2 Free Board

Sufficient free board must be provided so that there is no possibility whatsoever of the

embankment being overtopped. The USBR suggests the following free boards:

2.3
Casing or Outer Shells

The function of casing or outer shells is to impart stability and protect the core. The relatively

pervious materials, which are not subject to cracking on direct exposure to atmosphere, are

suitable for casing.

on the character of the materials available, foundation conditions and height of the dam. The

slopes also depend upon the type of the dam

2.4 Side Slopes for earth Dams According to Terzaghi:

2.5 Central Impervious Core

The minimum safe thickness of the central impervious core depends on the following factors:

i. Tolerable seepage loss

ii. Maximum width that will permit proper construction

iii. Types of the materials available for the core and the shells

iv. Design of the proposed filter layers

v. Precedent on similar projects

The shear strength of core materials is always lesser than the rest of the embankment. Hence a

thinner shell is preferable from the point of view of stability.

2.6 Cutoff Trench

Cutoff is required to:

i. Reduce loss of stored water through foundation and abutments

ii. Prevent sub-surface erosion by piping.

2.7 Downstream Drainage Filter zones are provided in earth dams to provide drainage in order to reduce
pore pressure in the downstream portion