ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement

and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay, or
rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and a dense, impervious
core. This makes the dam impervious to surface or seepage erosion. Such a dam is composed of
fragmented independent material particles. The friction and interaction of particles binds the
particles together into a stable mass rather than by the use of a cementing substance.

Embankment dams come in two types: the earth-filled dam (also called an earthen dam or terrain
dam) made of compacted earth, and the rock-filled dam. A cross-section of an embankment dam
shows a shape like a bank, or hill. Most have a central section or core composed of an
impermeable material to stop water from seeping through the dam. The core can be of clay,
concrete, or asphalt concrete. This type of dam is a good choice for sites with wide valleys. They
can be built on hard rock or softer soils. For a rock-fill dam, rock-fill is blasted using explosives
to break the rock. Additionally, the rock pieces may need to be crushed into smaller grades to get
the right range of size for use in an embankment dam.

The building of a dam and the filling of the reservoir behind it places a new weight on the floor
and sides of a valley. The stress of the water increases linearly with its depth. Water also pushes
against the upstream face of the dam, a nonrigid structure that under stress behaves semi
plastically, and causes greater need for adjustment (flexibility) near the base of the dam than at
shallower water levels. Thus the stress level of the dam must be calculated in advance of
building to ensure that its break level threshold is not exceeded.

Overtopping or overflow of an embankment dam beyond its spillway capacity will cause its

eventual failure. The erosion of the dam's material by overtopping runoff will remove masses of
material whose weight holds the dam in place and against the hydraulic forces acting to move the
dam. Even a small sustained overtopping flow can remove thousands of tons of overburden soil
from the mass of the dam within hours. The removal of this mass unbalances the forces that
stabilize the dam against its reservoir as the mass of water still impounded behind the dam
presses against the lightened mass of the embankment, made lighter by surface erosion. As the
mass of the dam erodes, the force exerted by the reservoir begins to move the entire structure.
The embankment, having almost no elastic strength, would begin to break into separate pieces,
allowing the impounded reservoir water to flow between them, eroding and removing even more

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

material as it passes through. In the final stages of failure the remaining pieces of the
embankment would offer almost no resistance to the flow of the water and continue to fracture
into smaller and smaller sections of earth or rock until these would disintegrate into a thick mud
soup of earth, rocks and water.

Therefore, safety requirements for the spillway are high, and require it to be capable of
containing a maximum flood stage. It is common for its specifications to be written such that it
can contain at least a one-hundred-year flood. A number of embankment dam overtopping
protection systems were developed around the turn of the third millennium. These techniques
include the concrete overtopping protection systems, timber cribs, sheet-
piles, riprap and gabions, reinforced earth, minimum energy loss weirs, embankment
overflow stepped spillways and the precast concrete block protection systems.

Slope Stability Analysis Requirements

The analyzed stability of a slope is expressed as a Factor of Safety (FS). FS values greater than 1
indicate the estimated driving forces are less than the resistance forces. However, due to inherent
uncertainties in the behavior and characterization of earth materials, regulations and good
practice require FSs greater than 1 for most loading conditions.

To prepare a slope stability analysis, a model or sectional view of the slope is developed for the
most vulnerable section, typically the maximum section of the dam, or where signs of distress
are observed. The phreatic surface is included in the model and can be identified through
piezometer readings, when available, by accurately located observations of wetness or free water
on the embankment, or by estimating a typical phreatic surface shape. References such as
Cedergren (1989) can be used to estimate the phreatic surface for various embankment zoning
scenarios. Each material or soil type within the embankment and the foundation should be
assigned appropriate properties for use in the analysis. Slope stability is primarily a tool for
comparing the relative stability of various possible designs at a site and benchmarking them
against historically successful practice. It should not be relied upon as an absolute indicator of
the safety of a particular design.

Stability Analysis

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

Stability analysis of downstream slope during steady seepage.

The condition of steady seepage is developed when the water level is maintained at a constant
level for sufficiently long time and the seepage lines arc established in the earth dam section.
This condition is likely to be critical for the downstream slope. In the analysis, existence of tail
water and drawdown effects, if any, shall also be taken into account.
The stability of downstream slope shall be examined by effective stress method. Steady seepage
from level in the reservoir which is sustained for a period of one month should be taken as
critical. The stability analysis of the earth dam shall be done assuming that the dam is fully
saturated below phreatic line. Allowance for pore pressure in the analysis shall be made in terms
of the buoyancy of the material or by drawing flow nets. The core material lying below the
phreatic line (and above the tail water level, if any) shall be considered as saturated for
calculating the driving forces and buoyant for resisting forces. All the zones of the dam and
foundation lying below the tail water level, if any, shall be considered as buoyant for calculating
the driving and resisting forces. A part of upstream pervious shell material below the phreatic
line, if any, included in trial sliding, mass shall be considered as saturated for calculating the
driving and buoyant for resisting forces. All zones lying above the phreatic line shall be
considered as moist for calculating both the driving and resisting forces.
When the reservoir on the u/s side of the earth dam is filled, water starts seeping through body of
the dam. After some time, steady seepage conditions are established and a well-defined phreatic
line is formed. The soil below the phreatic line is saturated and is subjected to seepage pressure.
The seepage forces are directed inward into the body of the dam on the u/s side and hence
increases the stability of the u/s slope. However, on the d/s side, the seepage forces are directed
outward and hence aid the gravity forces in decreasing the stability of the d/s slope. The steady
seepage condition is therefore critical for the d/s slope of the earth dam.
The factor of safety of the d/s slope under steady seepage is determined for a trial slip surface
using the method of slices. The wedge of soil in the d/s slope above the trial slip surface is
divided into a number of slices of equal width.

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

The weight of each slice is computed by considering the bulk density of soil above the phreatic
line and saturated density below the phreatic line. The weight of each slice is resolved into
normal (Ni) and tangential (Ti) components about a line tangential to the mid-point of each slice
at its bottom. Driving moment will be –

Where r is the radius of trial slip surface. The resisting moment will be –

Where S is the total shear strength at the bottom of each slice.

The shear strength at the bottom of each slice is calculated from the relation –

However, for the slices that are intersected by the phreatic line, only effective normal component
Ni ‘must be used in determining the shear strength by subtracting the total pore pressure (u × Δt)
at the bottom of the slice from the corresponding total normal component, Ni Thus, the total
shear strength of the soil along the trial slip surface is given by –

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

The analysis is repeated for a large number of trial slip surfaces and corresponding factors of
safety are determined. The minimum factor of safety so obtained is taken as the factor of safety
of the d/s slope during steady seepage and the corresponding trial slip surface is the critical slip
surface.
Considerations of horizontal shear developed at base under the d/s slope of the dam, from
the consideration of horizontal shear developed at base under the upstream slope of the
dam

The stability of the d/s slope under steady seepage is generally tested with Swedish slip circle
method. However, the F.S against the horizontal shear forces can be evaluated on the same
principles as was done for the u/s slope in the previous paragraphs.

With reference to Fig. above, the horizontal shear force Pd, in this case, is given by

Where = weighted density at the center of the triangular shoulder downstream, given by

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

Shear resistance Rd of d/s slope portion of dam, developed at base is given by

Where, W= weight of the d/s slope portion of dam, C=c× (Bd×1), where c is the unit cohesion.

The triangular profile of the d/s slope portion of dam (Fig. 16.3) has an area say A1 of dry soil
above the seepage line and the area of submerged soil say A2 below the seepage lines. These
areas can be measured by a plan meter and then,

If the measuring of the areas is to be avoided, the entire weight W may be calculated on the basis
of submerged soil, as it will be on a still safer side. In that case,

Knowing Pd and Rd, the factor of safety against shear can be easily determined as

The factor of safety at the point of maximum shear can also be determined in the same manner as
was explained for the u/s slope portion.

Stability of upstream slope during sudden Draw down

Earth dams may get saturated due to prolonged higher reservoir levels. Sudden drawdown
condition corresponds to the subsequent lowering of reservoir level rate faster than pore water
can dissipate. This induces unbalanced seepage forces and excess pore water pressures. This

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

condition becomes critical if the materials of the upstream portion of the dam are not freely
draining.
Depending upon the value of the coefficient of permeability of the upstream shell material, the
pore pressures in the shell material in the drawdown range shall be allowed arbitrarily in the
analysis as follows:
a) Full pore pressures shall be considered if the coefficient of permeability is less than 10-4
cm/s. b) No pore pressures shall be considered if the coefficient of permeability is greater than
10-2 cm/s.
c) A linear variation from full pore pressures to zero pore pressures shall be considered for the
coefficients of permeability lying between 10-4 cm/s to 10-2 cm/s.
The above values of pore pressures are based on a drawdown rate of 3 m/month. For the core
material which is generally impervious full pore pressures shall be allowed for the core zone
lying in the drawdown range. If a zone of random material with the properties intermediate
between core and the shell material is provided in between upstream shell and core of the dam,
the pore pressures for sudden drawdown condition shall be allowed for in the same way as for
the core.
The critical condition for the stability of u/s slope of an earth dam occurs when there is rapid
drawdown from the u/s side of the reservoir. If the soil is of low permeability, no appreciable
change in the water level inside the body of the dam takes place when the reservoir level goes
down.
The weight of water, which is still present in the soil slope, tends to cause sliding of the wedge as
the water pressure, which was acting on the u/s slope to balance this weight, has been suddenly
removed. From another view point, the shear strength of the soil is considerably reduced due to
pore pressure developed in the soil; whereas the destabilizing force due to the saturated weight of
soil remains the same.
The generally available silt and clay foundation below the base of an earth dam, are sufficiently
impervious, and there is no necessity of providing any treatment for under seepage and piping for
such foundations.but these foundations are weak in shear and must be investigated. In order to
keep the shear stress

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

Where h is the height of soil above point P, hw is the height of water above the point P, and h’ is
the loss of head due to seepage from upstream slope up to (EPL through) point P
Major Principal Stress at point P, σ1 is equal to the weight of soil and water above point P. When
there is a drawdown, the major principal stress at point P decreases by –

And the change in the pore water pressure at point P is given by –

Where B̅ is the overall pore pressure coefficient given by –

Hence the pore pressure at point P, immediately after the drawdown is given by –

The value of B̅ is slightly greater than unity. A conservative value of B equal to unity is
generally taken. Thus –

The factor of safety is obtained using the pore pressure computed from.
An approximate alternative method for stability analysis of u/s slope under sudden drawdown is
to consider the saturated unit weight of soil for calculating driving forces (IT,) and submerged
unit weight for calculating the resisting forces (ΣTi). Thus –

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

As the water pressure on the slope is still acting below the drawdown level, the submerged unit
weight is used both for driving forces and for resisting forces.
If the slope material has high permeability, it drains as fast as the reservoir level goes down, then
the driving and resisting forces are calculated using bulk unit weight.
If the slope material is of medium permeability, the saturation line moves down at a rate
depending on the permeability of the soil. A series of flow nets can be drawn for different
positions of saturation line and the corresponding pore pressure is determined and the factor of
safety is estimated.
Stability of the upstream slope portion of the dam, during sudden draw down, from the
consideration of horizontal shear developed at base under the upstream slope of the dam

An approximate method for checking the stability of the u/s slope against sudden drawdown is
presented here. It is based on the simple principle that a horizontal shear force (say Pu) is exerted
by the saturated soil (i.e.by the soil as well as by water contained within the soil). The resistance
to this shear force (Ru) is provided by the shear resistance developed at the base of the soil mass,
contained within the u/s triangular shoulder.

Considering a unit length of the dam, the horizontal shear force Pu is given by the equation

Υ 1 h2 2 Υw∗h12
Pu = [ tan ⁡ ¿) + ]
2 2

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

Where, weighted density at the center of triangular upstream shoulder and is given by

Υsub∗h1+Υdry∗( h−h 1)
Υ 1=
h

Shear resistance of u/s slope portion of the dam developed at base GN is given by

Ru = C+W tanϕ

Where, W= weight of the u/s triangular shoulder of dam, and C=total cohesive force developed
at base, GN.

If c is the unit cohesion of the dam soil, then where, = length GN.

The triangular profile of the u/s slope portion of dam has an area GBTN as the submerged soil
(soil below the seepage line) and an area equal to BMT as dry area. The correct weight W will be
equal to. These areas can be measured by a plain meter. If the measuring of the areas is to be
avoided, the entire area may be taken as submerged. By doing so, the weight W will be slightly
reduced, and thus or Ru or F.S. will be slightly reduced. Hence the results obtained will be on a
safer side.

In such a case,

Now Pu and Ru are known, the factor of safety against sliding can be easily calculated, using

It should be more than 1.5.

The factor of safety calculated above is with respect to average shear (av), which will be equal to

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

It has been found by photo-elastic studies that the maximum intensity of shear stress occurs at a
distance 0.6 Bu from the heel (i.e.0.4Bu from the shoulder) and is equal to 1.4 times the average
shear intensity.

Maximum shear stress induced

GV=0.6 Bu

The unit shearing resistance developed at this point V is given by

F.S at the point of the maximum shear

It should be more than 1.

Stability of upstream & downstream slope during and immediately after construction.
An embankment or earth dam is normally compacted at 80%-90% saturation. When the
embankment soil is of low permeability, excess pore pressure develops due to compaction during
construction or due to its own weight. The pore pressures developed depend on the placement
water content, method of compaction, weight of the overlying soil, permeability of the soil, and
rate of construction. The prediction of pore pressure during the design stage is rather difficult.
The stability analysis of the u/s slope and d/s slope during construction are carried out by the
method of slices. The analysis involves computation of driving moment that is due to tangential

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

component of weight of the slices, and the resisting moment that is due to shear strength of the
soil along the trial slip surface.
The determination of the shear strength along the trial slip surface, and hence the resisting
moment, requires the knowledge of pore pressure during construction. Hilf has given a method to
estimate pore pressure during construction based on laboratory test results as shown by the
following relation –

where u is induced pore air pressure, po is the pore air pressure before compaction (atmospheric
pressure) Δ is the embankment compression as a percentage of embankment volume, Va is the
volume of free air in soil pores after initial compaction, Vw is the volume of water present in unit
volume of embankment soil, and h is Henry’s constant of solubility of air in water by volume ≈
0.02 at 20°C
When Δ = Va, the entire air goes into the solution and the soil becomes saturated. The pore
pressure is then given by –

A graph is plotted between the effective stress σ’ and the percent consolidation Δ, as obtained
from the consolidation tests conducted on the samples in the laboratory. The values of pore
pressure are calculated using Eq. (17.29) for different values of Δ. The total stress is calculated
from the following equation –

A plot is then made between the total stress and the pore pressure u. The plot is used for the
determination of pore pressures at various points on the dam during construction. The total stress
is obviously equal to the bulk unit weight multiplied by the depth of the soil above.
Stability of foundation against shear

The generally available silt and clay foundation below the base of an earth dam, are sufficiently
impervious, and there is no necessity of providing any treatment for under seepage and piping for
such foundations.but these foundations are weak in shear and must be investigated.

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

In order to keep the shear stress developed at the foundation, with in limits the embankment
slopes have to be flattened or berms on either side may be provided. If the available foundations
are of plastic or unconsolidated clays, their shear strength will be very less and the matter should
be seriously and throughly investgated.

The total horizontal shear force (p), under slope of the dam is equal to the difference between the
lateral thrust on a vertical through the top shoulder of the slope and a vertical through the toe of
the slope.
Υeq(h+ h3)3 Υeq∗h3 2 2 ϕ1
Or P=(P1-P2)= tan ⁡2 ¿)- ∗tan ⁡ ¿45- )
2 2 2
Υeq(h+ h3)2
Or P=Υeq [ ¿∗¿)]
2
Where h3=the depth of foundation soil below the dam base, overlaying the hard stratum below
it.
Υeq = the equivalent unit weight of dry soil in foundation and dam. It is given by
Υdry for dammaterial∗h∗Υdry for foundation material∗h 3
Υeq=
h1+h 3
Where ϕ 1=the equivalent angle of inertia, friction and is given by
⁡ ¿]
ϕ 1=tan −1
Where
cf ∧ϕf are the value of unit cohesion and angle of inertia friction for the soil in the foundation.
¿ tan ⁡2 ¿ )] is known as equivalent liquid unit weight.
P
( av) =
Bs

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

Where Bs= base width blow the slope.

The value of Bs will be equal to Bu for upstream slope and Bd for downstream slope. The
minimum value will generate maximum stresses and hence. That particular slope should be
considered which gives the minimum value of Bs. i.e. the slope which is less flat and is therefore
the worst slope.

Or 𝜏max= maximum shear stress =1.4 𝜏av

The unit shear resistance of the foundation soil below the toe at point G

= 𝜏f1 =[cf +Υ f*h3*tanϕ

Υ f is the unit weight of foundation soil and if the average value is given for impervious soils, that
value may be used. But if there is a possibility of foundation soil getting submerged due to large
scale seepage that may take place through the foundation soil, then the submerged density maybe
used.

Similarly, the unit shear resistance of the soil vertically below the upper point of the considered
slope (say at point N1) is given by 𝜏f2

𝜏f2 = cf +Υ 3 (h+h3) tanϕ f

Where Υ 3 = the equivalent unit weight of soil in the dam and foundation at the point N1 is given

Υf ∗h 3+Υdam∗h
by Υ 3 =
h+ h 3

The value of Υ f and Υdam may be taken as their dry densities or submerged densities depending
up on the possibilities.

The average shear resistance

τ f 1+τ f 2
τf=
2

τf
Hence the overall safety factor ¿
τ (av )

This should be greater than 1.5

The factor of safety at the maximum shear (i.e. the point V1) must also be calculated as below:

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ASSIGNMENT ON STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EMBANKMENT DAMS

The unit shear resistance at this point V1

τ f (max) = cf+Υ 4 ( h3+ 0.06 h ) tan ϕ f

Where Υ 4the equivalent is weight of soil in dam and foundation and is given by

Υf ∗h 3+Υdam∗(0.6 h)
Υ 4=
(h 3+0.6 h)

The dry or submerged unit weights may be used as explained earlier, in the above equation

F.S.= Factor of safety at the point of maximum shear

τ f (max)
=
τ (max)

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