Concrete Dam Engineering

Gravity Dams
 Stability requirement
 Load Combinations
 Modes of failure of a gravity dam
 Overturning
 Sliding
 Crushing
 Tension
 Principal and Shear Stresses
 Elementary and Practical Profile

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 GRAVITY DAMS
Load Combinations
Gravity dam design should be based on the most adverse load
combination A, B, C, D, E, F or G given below using the safety
factors prescribed
 Load Combination A (Construction Condition) -
Dam completed but no water in reservoir and no
tail water.
 Load Combination B (Normal Operating
Condition) - Full reservoir elevation, normal dry
weather tailwater, normal uplift; ice and silt
(if applicable).
 Load Combination C (Flood Discharge
Condition) - Reservoir at maximum flood pool
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 elevation, all gates open, tailwater at flood elevation,
normal uplift, and silt (if applicable ).
 Load Combination D - Combination A, with
earthquake.
 Load Combination E - Combination B, with
earthquake but no ice.
 Load Combination F - Combination C, but with
extreme uplift (drains inoperative).
 Load Combination G - Combination E, but with
extreme uplift(drains inoperative)

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Requirements for Stability
Modes of failure of a gravity dam:
 Overturning
 Sliding
 Compression or Crushing
 Tension.
The design shall satisfy the following requirements of stability:
 The dam shall be safe against sliding on any plane or
combination of planes within the dam, at the foundation
or within the foundation;
 The dam shall be safe against overturning at any
plane within the dam, at the base, or at any plane below
the base;The safe unit stresses in the concrete or
masonry of the dam or in the foundation material shall
not be exceeded
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 GRAVITY DAMS
Requirements for Stability
 The shape of a dam and curvature in its layout are
pertinent in regard to the stability and more favourable
stress conditions. Wherever possible dam and foundation
designs should take advantage of the favourable conditions
accruing from curved shapes, gradual transitions and
fillets. For consideration of stability the following
assumptions are made:
 That the dam is composed of individual transverse
vertical elements each of which carries its load to the
foundation without transfer of load from or to adjacent
elements. (NOTE - However. in the stability analysis of a
gravity dam, it becomes frequently necessary to make an
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 analysis of the whole block, wherever special features of
foundation and large openings so indicate).
 That the vertical stress varies linearly from upstream
face to downstream face on any horizontal section.
Reaction of Foundations
 The resultant of all horizontal and vertical forces should
be balanced by an equal and opposite reaction at the
foundation consisting of the total vertical reaction and the
total horizontal shear and friction at the base and the
resisting shear and friction of the passive wedge, if any.
 For the dam to be in static equilibrium the location of
this force is such that the summation of moments is equal to
zero.

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  The distribution of the vertical reaction is assumed as
trapezoidal for convenience only, with knowledge that the
elastic and plastic properties of both the foundation material
and the concrete do affect the actual distribution.
 The problem of determining the actual distribution is
complicated by the horizontal reaction, internal stress
relations and other theoretical considerations.

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 Overturning
 The overturning of the dam section takes place
when the resultant force at any section cuts the base of
the dam downstream of the toe.
 In that case the resultant moment at the toe
becomes clockwise (or -ve).
 For stability requirements, the dam must be safe
against overturning.
 The factor of safety against overturning is defined
as the ratio of the righting moment (+ ve MR) to the
overturning moments (- ve M0) about the toe

FS = =
ΣRighting Moments ΣM R
ΣOverturning Moments ΣM z

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The factor of safety against overturning should not be less than
1.5.

IS Code Recommendation
 Before a gravity dam overturns bodily, other types of
failures may occur, such as cracking of the upstream
material due to tension, increase in uplift, crushing of toe
material and sliding.
 A gravity dam is, therefore, considered safe against
overturning if the criteria of no tension on the upstream
face, the resistance against sliding as well as the quality and
strength of concrete/masonry of the dam and its foundation
is satisfied assuming the dam and foundation as a
continuous body.

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 Sliding Resistance

 Many of the loads on the dam are horizontal or have

horizontal components which are resisted by frictional or
shearing forces along horizontal planes in the body of the
dam, on the foundation or in the foundation.
 A dam will fail in sliding at its base, or at any other level, if
the horizontal forces causing sliding are more than the
resistance available to it at that level.
 The resistance against sliding may be due to friction alone,
or due to friction and shear strength of the joint.
 Shear strength develops at the base if benched
foundations are provided and at other joints if the joints are
carefully laid so that a good bond develops.

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  The stability of a dam against sliding is evaluated by
comparing the minimum total available resistance along the
critical path of sliding (that is, along that plane or combination
of planes which mobilizes the least resistance to sliding) to the
total magnitude of the forces tending to induce sliding.
 Sliding resistance is a function of the cohesion inherent in
the materials and at their contact and the angle of internal
friction of the material at the surface of sliding.
 The junction plane between the dam and rock is rarely
smooth.
 In fact, special efforts are made to avoid this condition.
 There may be some lower plane in the foundation where
sliding is resisted by friction alone especially if the rock is
markedly stratified and horizontally bedded.

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 Sliding Resistance
The factor of safety against sliding shall be computed from the
following equation and shall not be less than 1.0.

where FS = factor of safety against sliding, ΣW = dead load of

the dam, ΣPU = total uplift force, μ = tan φ = coefficient of
internal friction of the material (varies from 0.65 to 0.75 for
concrete), τc = cohesion of the material or permissible shear
stress at the plane considered (=1.4 N/mm2 for concrete), A =
area under consideration for cohesion, Fφ = partial factor of
safety in respect of friction, Fc = partial factor of safety in
respect of cohesion, and ΣFH = total horizontal force
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Sliding Resistance
The partial factor of safety in respect of friction and partial factor
of safety in respect of cohesion are follows

For final designs, the value of cohesion and internal friction shall
be determined by actual laboratory and field tests.

For final designs, the value of cohesion and internal friction shall
be determined by actual laboratory and field tests.
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 Compression or Crushing
In order to calculate the normal stress distribution at the base, or
at any section, let ΣFH be the total horizontal force, ΣFV be the
total vertical force and R be the resultant force cutting the base at
an eccentricity e from the centre of the base of width b, which is
equal to where⎯x is the distance of the resultant force R from the
toe given by

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 Compression or Crushing
The normal stress at any point on the base will be the sum of the
direct stress and the bending stress. The direct stress σcc is

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 Tension
In case of extra high dams, 230 to 260 m, small tension within the
permissible limit is generally permitted for comparatively small
periods of loading such as heavy flood or earthquake. No tensile
stress shall be permitted at the u/s face for load combination B.
Small values of tension on the d/s face may be permitted since it is
very improbable that a fully constructed dam is kept empty and
d/s cracks which are not extensive and for limited depths from the
surface may not be detrimental to the safety of the structure.

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 GRAVITY DAMS
 Since concrete cannot resist the
tension, a crack develops at the Effect of Tension Cracks
heel, which modifies the uplift
pressure diagram.
 Due to tension crack, the
uplift pressure increases in
magnitude and net
downward vertical force
or the stabilizing force reduces.
 The resultant force gets
further shifted towards toe and
this leads to further lengthening
of the crack.

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Principal and Shear Stresses
Consider an elementary triangular section at either the heel or
the toe of the dam section such that stress intensities may be
assumed to be uniform on its faces. The face of the dam will be a
principal plane as water pressure acts on it in the perpendicular
direction, with no accompanying shear stress.
Since the principal planes
are mutually at right
angle, the plane AB, right
angle to AC, will have only
a normal stress on it, and
will be the other principal
plane. The forces acting
on the elementary section
are shown in Fig
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Principal Stresses
Let ds, dr and dy be the lengths of AC, AB and BC; p =
intensity of water pressure; σ1 = principal stress on plane
AB; τ = shear stress; and pn = normal stress. Considering
unit length of the dam, the normal forces on the planes AB,
BC and CA are respectively σ1 dr, pn dy and p ds. Resolving
all the forces in the vertical direction, we get

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Principal Stresses
 The principal stress relationship is applicable to both
u/s and d/s faces.
 It should be noted, however, that for the u/s face σ1
will always be less than p. Hence σ1 is the minor
principal stress and p is the major principal stress for the
u/s face.
 For the d/s face σ1 will always be greater than p, so σ1
is the major principal stress and p is the minor principal
stress.
 For the d/s side, the worst condition will be when
there is no tailwater, and hence p will be zero and σ1 will
be maximum.

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 Elementary Profile of a Gravity Dam
 In the absence of any force
other than the forces due to
water, an elementary profile
will be triangular in section,
having zero width at the water
level, where water pressure is
zero, and a maximum base
width b, where the maximum
water pressure acts.The
section of the
elementaryprofile is of the
same shape as the hydrostatic
pressure distribution diagram.
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 GRAVITY DAMS
Stresses developed in the Elementary Profile
Reservoir Empty Condition:
When the reservoir is empty, the only force acting on the
elementary profile will be its weight, acting through the first
third point M1. Hence, ΣFV = W, and e = -b/6 so shear stress is
zero and the maximum compressive normal stress equal to
principal stress at the heel or toe thus

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 Limiting Height of a Gravity Dam
 If the height of the dam is more than Hlim, the max
compressive stress will exceed the permissible stress and
that condition is undesirable.
 Classification of gravity dam
 Low gravity dam (H < Hlim )
 High gravity dam (H > Hlim )
 For a concrete dam (Sc = 2.40 and σper = 3.0 N/mm2), the
limiting height is about 88 m.
 If higher grade concrete (σper ≥= 3.0 N/mm2) is used then
the limiting height would be more.
 If the height of the dam to be constructed is more than
that Hlim , the section will have to be given extra slopes to the
u/s and d/s sides, below the limiting height, to bring the
compressive stress within the permissible limits.
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 GRAVITY DAMS
Practical Profile of a Gravity Dam
 The elementary profile of a gravity dam is triangular in
shape, having zero width at the top.
 However, a truly triangular section is not practical nor is it
necessarily the most economical section.
 The elementary profile of the gravity dam is only a
theoretical profile because such a profile is not possible in
practice.
 Deviation from the elementary profile is due to the
provision of
 Freeboard
 Top width or roadway at the top
 Additional loads due to the roadway

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 Practical Profile of a GravityDam
Effect of Freeboard
 Freeboard is the margin provided between the top of dam
and H.F.L. in the reservoir to prevent the splashing of the
waves over the non-overflow section.
 It also takes care of any unforeseen floods in the reservoir.
 The freeboard adopted shall be 1.5 times the
corresponding wave height hw above normal pool elevation or
maximum reservoir level, whichever gives the higher crest
elevation for the dam.
 The freeboard above maximum reservoir level shall,
however, be in no case less than 0.9 m.
 Current practice is to provide a max freeboard equal to 3
to 4% of the dam height, though free board equal to 5 % or
more might prove economical.

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 Practical Profile of a Gravity Dam
Effect of Topwidth
 If some top width T = AD is provided for the elementary
section ABC, the resultant of the dam section will be shifted
to the u/s when the reservoir is empty.
 AM1 is the inner third point line, and MI is the line
passing through the centroid of the added triangle ADE.
Both these lines intersect at point H.
 For all sections below plane FHG, the resultant will,
therefore, be shifted to the left of line AM1, causing tension at
the down stream face when the reservoir is empty.
 This will require the provision of u/s batter FC1 below the
plane FHG.

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 GRAVITY DAMS
Practical Profile of a Gravity Dam
Effect of Topwidth
¾In order to bring the resultant back to
the outer third point line, for the sake of
economy, the slope of d/s face may be
flattened, bringing it from EB to
position EB1.
¾Thus, due to the provision of some top
width T, the net economical section will
be ADEB1C1F
¾It can be seen that as the top width is
increased, the u/s batter is increased
while the d/s slope is decreased.
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 Practical Profile of a GravityDam
Effect of Topwidth
 Increase in concrete volume due to provision of top width is
counter-balanced by the reduction in the d/s slope at lower
levels.
 The concrete added for the provision of top width
decreases, rather than increases, the total concrete volume in
the dam.
 However, the most economical top width is the function of
height of dam.
 Creager has shown that the most economical top width,
without, considering earthquake effects, is found to be about
14% of the height of dam.
 However, for dams of low height, the top width provided on
the basis of economy (ie.14 % of height) may have to be
increased from other practical considerations.
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Practical Profile of a Gravity Dam

Thus due to provisions of freeboard

and top width, some concrete is to
be provided to the upstream side
and some concrete is removed from
the downstream side to eliminate
tension and/or to economize.
¾Fig. shows the starting dimensions
of the practical profile of a gravity
dam.
¾The final dimensions should be
fixed after checking stability in all
the load combinations
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