Mekelle University

Ethiopian Institute of Technology-

Technology-Mekelle

1.13. Dam Foundation:

Problems and Their Treatment
Course Name: Dam Engineering
Course Code: CENG 6032

Dr. Bizuneh Asfaw Abebe.

Geotechnical Investigation Training at
Dam Site
2018/2019A.Y
Introduction
Dam Foundation Definition

Lower part of the dam which transmits the weight to the ground and also to

the valley floor and abutments

All of that part of the area under and adjacent to the dam which in any way

will affect or be affected by loading, scour or leakage.

A good foundation is of ample strength to withstand the weight of the

structure and to prevent sliding.

Cont’d...

It must be tight enough to prevent excessive leakage

Uplift must be reduced as much as possible, and discharge from the overflow or

outlets must not damage it.

The preparation of the foundation

Often difficult or sometimes impossible to correct foundation deficiencies that show

up after construction is well underway or completed.

It is probable that more than 90 percent of all failures of masonry dams have been

caused by faulty foundation

 Cont’d...
Primary purpose of foundation treatment

To obtain positive control of under seepage

Prepare surfaces to achieve satisfactory contact with overlying

compacted fill,

Minimize differential settlements and thereby prevent cracking in the fill

 Cont’d...

Clearing, grubbing, stripping, and cleaning of areas upon which a dam

will lie are required to remove those materials having undesirable

engineering qualities such as
 low shear strength, high compressibility,

 undesirable permeability, or

 other characteristics which would interfere with compaction operations;

and

 provide a surface favorable for a good bond with the overlying fill.
Earth Foundation for Dam Construction

General considerations

Concrete dams on earth foundations are numerous

It has been limited practically to structures no more than about 65 ft high for
good earth foundations and 30 ft for less resisting earth
This limitation in height may be attributed to the fact that the treatment of
earth foundations, to prevent erosion and excessive seepage, is far more
expensive than that necessary for rock foundations.

Consequently, for moderate and high dams it will be found best to adopt
another type of structure, or change the site.
Earth Foundation Problems

Two basic problems are found in pervious foundations:

One pertains to the amount of under seepage, and

The other is concerned with the forces exerted by the seepage

• The type and extent of treatment justified to decrease the amount of

seepage should be determined by the purpose of the dam

Loss of water through under seepage may be of economic concern for a

storage dam but of little consequence for a detention dam.

 Cont’d...
 The preparation of the foundation for a dam on earth must be made with five

objects in view

To provide ample bearing strength;

To prevent sliding;

To prevent excessive seepage under the dam;

To prevent piping; and

To prevent scouring by the water passing over the dam.

Bearing strength of earth foundations

It is essential that there be no excessive settlement in the structure.

Unequal settlement is particularly objectionable as the tightness of the

structure is dependent on the absence of settlement cracks.

For hollow dams on earth, the footings are usually spread to reduce

bearing stresses.
Sliding on Earth Foundations

The dam must be prevented from sliding.

Where the coefficient of friction of concrete on the earth is insufficient,

vertical bearing piles may be used to resist the water pressure.

Resistance to sliding has been obtained by thoroughly anchoring the

dam to a deep cutoff wall at the heel of the structure.

Seepage through Earth Foundations

Excessive seepage is objectionable, not only on account of waste of impounded water,

but principally because of danger of piping.

Seepage is reduced to best advantage by a water tight cutoff to rock or other

impermeable stratum.

It can also be reduced by increasing of path of percolation.

Impervious soil offers a greater resistance to seepage forces and, consequently, to

displacement

Pervious foundations, on the other hand, permit higher flow velocity and are usually

cohesionless, offering less resistance to seepage forces.

 Piping

Is the movement of material from the foundation by the velocity of the

seeping water

Incipient piping occurs when the pressure of the seeping water at any

point in the foundation is greater than the saturated weight of the soil at

that point

Prevented by providing sufficient length of impervious floor

Uplift pressure

The uplift pressure on the base of the dam must be considered in the

determination of the stability of that structure.

Uplift must be considered both at the base of the dam and apron and at deeper

points in the foundation

Any uplift on the apron below the dam must be balanced by the weight of the

apron and water above it.

Scouring

Water flowing over dam spillway scour the river bed, if not checked will

extend backwards and endanger the spillway as well as the dam

To protect the bed against scour the higher energy of the water drop

should be dissipated before it is discharged

Providing suitable length and thickness of aprons

Treatment of Earth Foundations
• Recommended treatment measures for earth foundation defects
or problems are:-
1. Cutoff trenches 7. Sheet piling
2. Grouting 8. A blanket with filler
3. Toe drains and drainage trenches 9. A main filter drain
4. Upstream cut offs 10. Pressure relief wells
5. Upstream aprons or blankets
6. Downstream aprons
1) Upstream Apron

May be made of

reinforced concrete
simply an impervious earth blanket

Is used to increase the length of the path of percolation.

Is better than a downstream apron for that purpose since there is no

unbalanced uplift under it to be balanced by the weight of concrete.

Filter drain & drains at the junction points.

2) Down stream apron

Purpose and necessity

have heavy enough to balance all uplift pressures.

scouring of the foundation.

Made of concrete are a necessary adjunct for spill-way dams on earth.

Shape and details of its top surface are frequently governed by the necessity

for killing the velocity of the spilling water.

3) Cutoff Trenches

Classified into two general types:

 Sloping-side and
 Vertical-side cutoff trenches.

Located at or upstream from the centerline of the crest of the dam,

The most positive means of controlling the amount of seepage and

Ensuring that no difficulty will be encountered by piping through the foundation

or by uplift pressures at the downstream toe.

4) Compacted backfill trenches

Backfill compacted in to a seepage cutoff trench is one of the most effective

devices for blocking foundation seepage.

Material and compaction is the same as for the impervious section of the

embankment.

Treatment of the exposed surface in the bottom and sides of the trench are

essential to ensure firm contact between the dam and the backfill.
 5) Sheet Piling Cutoffs

Should be steel because of its high strength is used in combination with a

partial cutoff trench to increase the depth of the cutoff.

Under the best conditions, including the use of compound to seal the interlocks

and good contact of the bottom of the piling with an impervious foundation,

It can be expected that the piling will be only 80 to 90 percent effective in

preventing seepage.
6) Bearing Piles

Is used for excessively weak foundations.

the type depending up on the

 the length required ,and

 the nature of the foundation materials

driven (formed) in the ground for transmitting the mass of the structure to the

soil
 by the resistance developed at the pile point or base {End bearing pile}

 by the friction along its surface {Friction pile}

7) Down stream cutoff

Is used to protect the foundation under the apron in case of

retrogression of the stream bed through failure of the riprap.

Reduces the danger of piping where drainage is not controlled.

Supplement to the apron.

8) Slurry Trench Cutoffs

Uses a water bentonite slurry to seal and support the trench wall during the excavation

process.

As material is excavated, the bentonite slurry is pumped into the trench

The slurry is usually made by mixing bentonite, a clay having a high content of the

mineral montmorillonite, and water.

Bentonite-water slurries for trench excavations are designed to perform several

functions:
(i) prevent seepage into the foundation by the formation of a filter cake,
(ii) suspend clay, silt, and fine-to medium- sized sand particles during excavation, and
(iii) provide hydrostatic pressure to the face of the excavation.
9) Upstream Blankets

Factors in deciding the use of blankets are:-

 Topography just upstream from the dam &

 The availability of impervious materials.

Used in conjunction with partial cutoff trenches.

Commonly used when cutoffs to bedrock or to an impervious layer are not practicable because of

excessive depth.

Generally used for a stream channel or valley floor of sand and gravel, but may also be required for

portions of the abutments.

Path of percolation in pervious foundations can be increased by the construction of a blanket of

impervious material connecting with the impervious zone of the dam and extending upstream from the
toe.
10) Toe Drains & Drainage Trenches
Toe Drains:-

Commonly installed along the downstream toe of dams in conjunction with horizontal

drainage blankets.

Beginning with smaller diameter drains laid along the abutment sections, are

progressively increased in size, and

Maximum diameter drains are placed across the canyon floor.

Purpose is to collect the seepage discharging from the embankment and foundation

and Convey it to an outfall pipe that discharges either into the spillway or outlet
works stilling basin or into the river channel below the dam.
 Cont’d…

Pipes, rather than French drains, are used to ensure adequate capacity to carry

seepage flows
Drainage Trenches:-

Used when pervious foundations are overlaid by thin impervious layer.

Excavated trench backfilled with permeable material that penetrates the impervious

layer & relieves the uplift on the pervious stratum & drainpipes installed

Are effective if the underlying pervious foundation is stratified

11) Pressure-Relief Wells

are accomplished drainage of stratified foundation

The primary requirements for this system are:

I. Should extend deep enough into the pervious foundation underlying the

impervious top layer so that the combined thickness of the impervious layer
and
 Drained material is sufficient to provide stability against underlying unrelieved

pressures.
 Depths of wells equal to the height of the dam are usually satisfactory.
Cont’d…
II. Must be spaced to intercept the seepage & -reduce the uplift pressures

between wells to acceptable limits.

III. Must offer little resistance to the infiltration of seepage and the discharge

thereof.

IV. Must be designed so that they will not become ineffective as a result of

clogging or corrosion.
Problems and Treatment of Rock Foundations

Problems found in rock foundation

 Surface rock is usually so badly

weathered

 Primary features Such as bedding

planes, unconformity shale beds, etc

 Which are developed during the rock

formation
Cont’d…
Secondary features such as

faults, joints, cracks ,cavities ,seams etc which result from various stresses

,deformations and weathering

 Some of these defects are which are common to all and restricted to others include

Bedding planes are found in sedimentary rock which may also have unconformity

faults.

Joint cracks are found in all consolidated rocks

Solution cavities are found in limestone & related carbonate rocks

Seams and zones of decayed material are found in siliceous argillaceous & other non-

calcareous rocks

Flow contracts and flow tunnel in lava

The Final Surface of Rock Foundations
General precautions to be taken during the time of rock foundation treatment

In the excavation of rock foundations it is always necessary to take particular care

that good rock directly beneath the blasting charges is not unnecessarily shattered.

No part of final foundation should be disturbed from it's original position and that no

strata should be jarred loose.

Final rock surface should be absolutely clean

 Sometimes, good foundation of firm rock contains loose horizontal or nearly

horizontal strata on which there is danger of sliding, the excavation should be deep
enough to obtain a 'toe hold' in order that the weight of sufficient bedrock
downstream from the dam may be available to resist the sliding forces.
Treatment of Rock Foundation Defects

The rocks in actual practice usually have structural and lithologic defects.

It is therefore necessary to have thorough geological investigation to

determine the suitability of the foundation for the dam defects if any should

be located in the rock so that suitable measures can be adopted.

Procedural measures for rock defects

Special consideration should be given to rocks in which seams or faults and

weathered or crushed zones have resulted in separated or partly separated

foundation blocks which might move slightly as a whole under the load of the

dam.

Narrow seams and faults frequently can be washed out and grouted.

For wide seams the gouge, weathered or broken rock, or other material which

fills them can be excavated and the seams refilled with concrete.
 Cont’d…

When seam material lies in a nearly horizontal plane below the surface of the

completed excavation it is some times more economical to reach it by a vertical shaft

or a large –size drill hole clean out the seam in drifts and fill with concrete rather
than excavate the firm rock above it.

Where rock, such as un cemented shale tends to disintegrate when exposed, the final

trimming should not be done until just before the concrete is to be placed .

In extreme cases where the rock disintegrates by slaking quite rapidly the final

foundation as soon as uncovered should be coated immediately with a bituminous or

asphalted water-proofing material.
Leakage Through Rock Foundations

Some seepage or leakage through rock foundation is to be expected as bedrock

is seldom if ever entirely unbroken.

The main objection to leakage through rock foundations is waste of water.

Although not necessarily, conclusive leaky foundations have been associated

with excessive uplift.

Cont’d…

In order to confine the leakage to a reasonable quantity it is

necessary with poor foundations to provide a cutoff or

artificial impervious barrier under the heel of dam.

For rock foundations there are two general types of cutoffs :

I. A trench filled with concrete, and

II. Holes drilled at frequent intervals grouted under pressure.

Grouting Rock Foundations
The purposes of Grouting of rock foundations are:

1. for tightening rock foundation to prevent leakage and reduce uplift and

2. For consolidating seamy and broken foundations to make them stronger

For rock foundations, there are two general types of cutoffs

1. A trench filled with concrete, and

2. Drilled at frequent intervals grouted under pressure.

 Curtain grouting

Curtain grouting: (or high pressure grouting) is accomplished by grouting one

or several lines of holes at the upstream face of the dam.

Curtain grouting is done to create a deep curtain in the foundation rock at the

heel of the dam which will prevent leakage from the reservoir and thus reduce
the uplift pressure on the dam.

The only accurate determination of required depth is a water-pressure test to

determine leakage in segregated zones at different elevations.

The procedure for Curtain grouting
1. One or several lines of deep holes (also called A-holes) of uniform depth are

drilled at the upstream face of the dam

• A primary series of holes is drilled 15 to 25 feet apart depending up on the nature of the

rock
• Where vertical seams are present it is necessarily to angle the grout holes in order to

intersect all of them

• For gravity dams of height greater than 60 m or for those constructed on poor rock

foundations the grout curtain usually consists of a multiple line arrangement of holes.
• The depth of holes depend on nature of the rock and in general vary between 30 and 40%

of the head water depth on dense foundation, and 70% of head water depth for poor
foundations.
Cont’d…

2. All the holes are thoroughly washed with alternate use of water and

compressed air to remove all loose material and drill cuttings, etc

3. The holes are then tested with water under pressure to check the water

tightness of the rock or to locate seams or other openings in the rock which

are to be plugged.

4. Grouting start with a thin mixture of one part of cement to five parts of

water and gradually thickens the grout as the hole tightens .

Pressure used for grouting

Pressure used for grouting must be carefully limited to that which will not lift or

otherwise move any part of the foundation or adjacent structure .

On the other hand, pressure must be as great as is allowable for speedy work and

largest possible converge.

Grouting pressure range from 5 or 10 lb per sq inches to 1000 lb per sq inches (

in deep holes). No general rule for pressure can be given. The rule of thumb for

frequently used that the pressure in lb per sq inches at any elevation should not

exceed the depth in feet.

Grouting Pressure Estimation (Using an eq.)
Rough Guide For Grouting Pressure (Using Chart)
Consolidation grouting
• Consolidation grouting (low pressure grouting ): badly faulted and

cracked foundations can be successfully consolidated by grouting.

• The procedure for consolidating grouting:

1. Shallow holes (also called B-holes) are drilled through the foundation rock
usually on a grid pattern
 The depth of these holes is usually between 3 to 15 m
 The spacing of the primary holes is kept large about 12 to 30 m.
Cont’d…
2. All the holes are thoroughly washed with alternate use of water and
compressed air to remove all loose material and drill cuttings, etc

3. Primary holes are grouted, then after the grouting of these holes
intermediate or secondary holes are drilled and grouted.If necessary
tertiary holes are drilled afterwards between the secondary holes and
grouted .

 The holes are generally grouted using a pressure of 300 to 400 kN

/m2 (3 to4 kgf/cm2).
Consolidation Grouting Plan
 Drainage of rock foundation

A well-designed and executed grouting system usually reduces the uplift on the

dam and the seepage through the foundation .

However, it is impossible to provide an absolutely perfect impervious barrier

and some seepage does occur.

Therefore, a suitable drainage system is usually provided downstream of the

grout curtain to remove the water which has seeped through the foundation
even after the construction of the grout curtain.

The drainage holes are connected to drainage gallery to carry the seepage to

tail water.
Plane of failure
Diversion of course
Down stream key wall scouring
Leakage through key wall
Detached of bank connection