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Chapter Two- Gravity Dam

Concrete dams can be classified as gravity,
buttress and arch dams.
Concrete dams require strong foundation than
other types of dams. The foundation should be
sound rock as much as possible.
Concrete dams are rigid and also they can resist
the overflow action. The spillway can be in side
the dam or on the abutments if there is natural
depression.

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 Gravity Dams
 gravity dam is a sold structure, made of concrete or
masonry constructed across a river to create a reservoir on
its upstream.
 The section of gravity dam is approximately triangular in
shape, with its apex at its top and maximum width at
bottom.
 The section is so proportioned that it resists the various
forces acting on it by its own weight.
 The gravity dam is usually provided with an over flow
spillway in some portion of its length.
 Thus, the dam consists of the non‐overflow section and
overflow section.
 The design of the two sections is done separately because
the loading conditions are different.
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  The structural integrity of any dam must be maintained under
different loading circumstances.
 the gravity dam is mainly subjected to the following main forces;
 Cross-section of gravity dam and load acting on
the dam.
Wind load
Wave load

Water load

Silt load Self weight

Earth quake load

Uplift load
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 Gravity Dam Loads
 Forces that act on gravity dam can be categorized as
primary loads, secondary loads and exceptional loads.
 Primary loads comprise
 Weight of the dam
 Water pressure
 Uplift pressure
 Secondary loads comprise:
 Wave pressure
 Silt pressure
 Ice pressure
 Wind pressure
 Exceptional Load: Earthquake forces
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 Primary Loads

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 Loads and their centroidal location in gravity
dams
Case -1 Non-over flow section
(i) Up stream vertical face 1 H
PH   w H 2 @ from the base of the dam.
2 3
'
1 @
H
PH '   wH '2
3
from the base of the dam.
2
Ap b
H PH w Pv
Through the centroid of
H Ap’ Trapezoidal, with out
3
H’ PH '
drainage gallery)
 wH  wH '
wH  w  H  H ' [ i.e. ]
U *B
2 @ 5H  2H '
Z 
3( H  H ' )
U W   c A p @ Through the centroid of
x-sectional area Ap
B 1 b
Pv   wb * H ' @ 3 from the toe of the dam.
2
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 (ii) Up stream face inclined
 If the upstream face of the gravity
Pv1 dam is inclined in addition to the
previous loads ( loads in vertical u/s
Pv2 face) , only vertical loads of water i.e.
Pv will be added at its centroidal point
from the toe of the dam.

where

Pv = Pv1+ Pv2

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 Case-2 Over flow section
Va
Ha 
2g
T.E.L

H1  w H 1  H a   H  H 2  
PH   1   H a  ( H 2  H 1 ) * Yw @
 2  

 
1
H1  Ha  2H1  3Ha  H2 
_
H2 Z
3  H1  2Ha  H2 
PH
from the base of the dam
Z

 w H 2  H a 

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 Seepage & uplift load
 The water enters the pores, cracks and fissures
within the body of the dam, at the interface
between the dam and within the foundation.
 Because the water is under pressure, it creates
uplift pressure on the dam.
 The pressure acts in all directions, but the
pressure acting upwards is important for the
design of the dam, as it reduces the effective
weight of the dam.

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 CONT….
 The computation of forces due to uplift pressure requires the
determination of the area on which it acts and intensity of the uplift
pressure at various points.
1. Area Factor:
 the uplift pressure generally does not occur on the entire horizontal area,
because in some portions, there are no pores in which water can enter.
 The area factor can be determined experimentally.
 The modern practice is to take the area factor as unity, i.e. it is assumed
that the uplift pressure acts on 100% of the horizontal area within the
body of the dam, at the interface, and within the foundations.
2. Intensity of Uplift pressure:
 the uplift pressure at any point depends upon the depth of the water at
that point.
 The pressure variation along the base is assumed to be linear between the
u/s and d/s faces.

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3/1/2023 12
 Cont…
 Total uplift force on the base of the dam
U = average pressures intensity * area

It acts at:-

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 Uplift pressure with drainage gallery and tension cracks
 To reduce the uplift pressure , drains are formed trough the body of the dam, this
make the intensity of the uplift pressure to be differ from the full concrete dam.

Drainage gallery
H '

H H

H’ H’
B B
H '
H '
H H

B’
 1 
  H ' ( H  H ' )
 3 
B’=location of tension crack from the heel of the dam

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 Secondary loads
Wave Pressure ( hydrodynamic wave load)
Waves are generated on the reservoir by the blowing winds.

Pwave
hw

hw  0.032 UF  0.763  0.2714 F if  F  32km

hw  0.032 UF if  F  32km
w/r
hw = height of the wave
U = wind velocity in km/hr Dam
F = fetch length

Reservoir surface area

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 Cont….
 The transient load, Pwave, generated by wave
action against the dam is not normally significant.
The maximum pressure intensity due to wave
action is:-

and hence the total force will be

Acts at height of 0.375hw above the still water

level.
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 Sediment load
 Silt is deposited in the reservoir on u/s of the dam.
 This silt exerts the earth pressure on the dam. has
vertical and horizontal components, and is a
function of:-
o the sediment depth hs,
o submerged unit weight γ' &
o active lateral pressure coefficient Ka.

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 N.B! it is usual practice to assume the value of hs equals
to the height of dead storage.

 s' hs 2 hs above the base of the

Psh  K a @
2 3 dam.
Psh
hs

The submerged unit weight  s ' and the active lateral pressure coefficient Ka
is given by
 s '  s  w 1  sin s
K 
1  sin s
a

where
s is the angle of shear resistance.
s is sediment saturated unit weight.

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 Wind load
When the dam is full:-
 wind acts only on the d/s side thus contribute to
stability.
 When empty the wind can act on the u/s face but
insignificant compared to hydrostatic load.
 For buttress dams load on the exposed surface has
to be considered.

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 Ice load
 Not a problem in Ethiopia.
 It can be significant where ice sheets form to
appreciable thickness & persist for lengthy
periods.
 Pice =145 KN/m2 for ice > 0.6m thick, otherwise
neglected

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 Exceptional Load
Earthquake force
Earthquake force may move in any direction, but for the
sack of design purpose it has to be resolved in to vertical
and horizontal components.
The values of these horizontal (αh) and vertical (αv)
accelerations are generally expressed as percentage of the
acceleration due to gravity i.e. 0.1g or 0.2g, etc.

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1. Effect of horizontal acceleration:
 The horizontal acceleration can occur in either u/s or
d/s directions.
 The horizontal acceleration is assumed to occur in the
direction which would produce the worst combination of
the forces.
I. Reservoir full condition:- the worst case occurs
when the earthquake acceleration moves towards
the u/s direction and the corresponding inertia force
acts in the d/s direction.
II. Reservoir empty condition:- the worst case occurs
when the earthquake acceleration moves towards
the d/s direction and the corresponding inertia force
acts in the u/s direction
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The horizontal force due to the earthquake is equal
to the product of mass M of the dam and
horizontal acceleration.

The force is assumed to act at the centre of gravity of mass

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2. Effect of vertical acceleration:-
Due to vertical acceleration, the inertia forces act on
the dam and on the water. The magnitude is :-

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 Earthquake force on the body of the water
 horizontal acceleration acting u/s towards the reservoir causes a momentary
increase in the water pressure.
 The dam and its foundation accelerate towards the reservoir and the water
resists the movement owing to its inertia, and hence the water pressure
increased.
 The additional water pressure is known as the hydrodynamic pressure.

Vertical acceleration(αv) The contact b/n the foundation and the dam
will increase, hence the effective Wight
of the dam will also be increase

The contact b/n the foundation and the

W dam Will decrease, which is the worst
case!!

Dam foundation
Down ward vertical movement.
W
Effective weight of the dam W  * v
g
Upward vertical acceleration

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 Reading assignment,
Horizontal acceleration(αh)
Hydro-dynamic pressure. Reference, P.Novak and S.K. Garg

Horizontal Inertia force.

Fe H
4H
3

4H
Fe  0.555 h w H 2 acts @ from the base of the dam.
3
Von – Karman formula

There is also a hydrodynamic formula developed by Zanger, but for average ordinary
purposes, the Von-Karman formula is sufficient.
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 )

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 Up stream vertical face

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 Upstream inclined face

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 Cont…

reservoir

Spillway

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Tail water
 Cont…

Ogee spillway

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 Cont…
Tower
intake

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 Design and analysis of gravity dam
 The dam as a whole should be structurally safe
and stable.
 It should be withstand the stresses developed due
to imposed loads and the foundation should be
strong enough to carry the loads.

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 CONT….
 The following assumptions are made for the analysis and
design by gravity method of analysis (which is
commonly used in practice).
 The concrete in a dam is homogenous, isotropic and
elastic.
 The dam consists of a number of vertical cantilevers of
unit of length, each act in dependently from adjoining
cantilevers.
 The stresses in the dam and its foundation are within
elastic limits.

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 CONT…
 There is a perfect rigid bond b/n the dam and the
foundation and both act as a one unit
 All loads are transferred to the foundation by the
cantilever acting.
 The foundation is strong and unyielding (no movement
is caused in the foundation due to the imposed loads)
 Small openings as galleries, do not affect the overall
stability of the dam.
 The dam behaves as a two-dimensional plane-strain
structure. (the behavior of all vertical sections is the
same)
 The vertical stresses on a horizontal plane vary linearly
from u/s to d/s faces
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 Design Principles & Criteria
The essential conditions to structural equilibrium & basic
stability requirement for a gravity dam for all condition of
loading can be summarized as
 It should be safe against overturning at any horizontal plane
within the structure: at the base or at a plane below the base
 It should be safe against sliding in any horizontal or near-
horizontal plane within the structure, at the base or any rock
seam in the foundation.
 The allowable stress in both the concrete or in the foundation
material shall not be exceeded.
The essential condition to structural equilibrium and so stability
can be summarized as:
 H  V  o & M o
 Gravity dam must be designed such that it is safe against all
possible mode of failure, with adequate factor of safety.

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 Load combination

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 Mode of Failures of Gravity Dam
Gravity dam may fail in the following way:-
 By over turning rotation about the toe;
 By Crushing;
 By development of tension , causing ultimate
failure by crushing;
 By shear failure called sliding

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 CONT…
Assessed in relation to all probable
conditions of loading, including reservoir
empty conditions the profile must have
sufficient safety factor w.r.t:
• Rotation & overturning.
• Translation & sliding and
• Overstress & material failure Like:-
tension failure
Crushing (compression) failure
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3/1/2023 42
 1- Over turning stability
 The overturning failure occurs when the resultant of all
the forces acting on the base passes outside the base of
the dam.
 Factor of safety against over turning, Fo, in terms of
moment about the d/s toe of the dam.
 F0 (factor of safety against over turning) should be greater
than 1.5.
 Fo > 1.25 may be acceptable, but Fo > 1.5 is desirable

Fo 
 M  ve
> 1.5……(safe against overturning)
M ve

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3/1/2023 44
 2. sliding stability
 Sliding failure occurs when the dam slides over its
base.
 The sliding failure is resisted by the friction and
shearing strength of the concrete (masonry) at upper
levels and that b/n foundation rock and concrete at
the base.
 The factor of safety against sliding (Fs) is:-

Fs should be greater than 1.0

 Where, μ is coefficient of friction b/n the material and

the horizontal section and its value varies b/n 0.65 to
0.75 up on the materials used.
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 CONT…
Factor of safety against sliding Fs, estimated using
one of the three definitions:-
1. Sliding factor, FSS;
2. Shear friction factor, FSF or
3. Limit equilibrium factor, FLE.
 The resistance to sliding or shearing
which can be mobilized across a plane is
expressed through parameters C &
tan.
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 1. Sliding factor (Fss)
Fss 
 H
, for horizontal plane
V
 H  tan
Fss 
V
 H 
1   tan

,for foundations inclined at a small angle
 V 
 
 Fss should not permit to exceed 0.75, but under
ELC up to 0.9 is acceptable.

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 2. Shear friction factor (FSF)
if the factor of safety against sliding is less than unity, it
doesn’t mean that the dam will fail due to sliding.
Thus the SFF should be determined considering both
friction and shear strength of the joint.
SFF is defined as the ratio of the total resistance to shear
and sliding which can be mobilized on a plane to the
total horizontal load.
With this approach both cohesion and the frictional
components of shear strength are accounted for and:
S
FSF 
H
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 CONT…
S=μ∑ V + Bq
Where:-
S = the maximum shear resistance which can be
mobilized
B= base width of the dam
μ = coefficient of friction b/n the material and the
foundation
q= average shear strength of the material at the
horizontal section

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 Cont…

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 Cont…
According to figure above:-
 CAb 
S  V tan(   ) kN / m
 cos (1  tan  tan  ) 

Where:- S – total resistance to shear

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 Cont…
Where Ah is the area of plane of contact or sliding (Ah is the
thickness, T, for a two-dimensional section)
With the normal load combination, the shear friction
factor required in the foundation zone is generally
SFF>4.0.
On planes within the dam and at the base interface,
SFF > 3.0 is representative.

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 3. Limit Equilibrium Factor, FLE

FLE 
f  = The shear stressed generated under the applied load

 f = Available shear strength and expressed by Mohr coulomb

failure criteria

FLE 
c   n tan  n = Streets acting normal to plain of sliding

for single plane sliding mode,

FLE 
CAh  V cos   H sin tan
 H cos  V sin.
Note for  = 0 FLE =FSF
This equation can be the developed for complicated failure plane
FLE = 2.0 for normal operation
FLE = 1.3 for seismic activity
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 3. Overstress & material failure.
1. Failure due to Crushing
(Compression Failure)
2. Tension Failure

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 1. Failure due to Crushing
(Compression Failure)
This occurs when the compressive stress in the dam or
foundation exceeds the safe limit.
The vertical stress in the dam and foundation can be
determined using equation below:

Where:
ΣV=sum of vertical forces ,
B= base width and
e = Eccentricity of the resultant force from the center of the
base given by
M *
e  Is Moments relative to
V
Where v - excludes uplift centroid, uplift excluded
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 Cont…

Vertical stress distribution for reservoir full case,

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 Cont…

Vertical stress distribution for reservoir empty case

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 Cont…
For reservoir full condition, the distribution
corresponds to the condition:-
1. when the resultant is within the middle
third (e<B/6),
2. when the resultant is just at the middle
third (e=B/6) and
3. when the resultant is outside the middle
third (e>B/6) , at u/s face –ve stress is
developed, i.e. tensile stress.

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 Cont…
To determine the vertical stress at the base of the
dam, it is better to consider the following cases:
1. Reservoir full;
i. At toe (d/s edge)

ii. At heel (u/s edge

2. Reservoir empty;
i. At toe (d/s edge) ,

ii. At heel (u/s edge),

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 Tension Failure
It may occur when the resultant strikes outside the
middle third.
it is so, the tension develops at the upstream edge
(heel).
Hence, at the heel, the dam loses contact with the
foundation and the effective width is reduced.
This results in an increase in the maximum
compressive stress at the toe.
A tension crack by itself does not cause failure of
the dam but it leads to the failure of the dam by
crushing or by overturning.
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3/1/2023 61
 Cont…

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 Cont…
Because of the gravity dam materials can not
sustain tensile stresses, it should be designed for
certain amount or no tension should develops
anywhere in the body of the dam.
The maximum permissible tensile stress for high
concrete gravity dams, under worst loadings, may
be taken as 500 KN/m2 (5kg/cm2).

Pmin 
 V  6e 
1 0
B  B 
In order to ensure that no tension is developed
anywhere, the amount of Pmin should at most equal
to zero
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 Cont…
B
e 
6
The maximum value of eccentricity, that can be
permitted on either side of the center is equal to
B/6 ------- “ the resultant must lie within the
middle third”.
The resultant distance from the toe of the dam is
given by:- 
x 
M
V
Eccentricity,
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 Principal & shear stresses
The vertical stresses determined from above are not
the maximum direct stresses.
The maximum direct stress is the major principal
stress acting on the major principal plane passing
through the point.

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 Reservoir Full Condition

The principal plane at the toe is the d/s AC of the dam

on which only the normal stress due to water pressure acts
and there are no shearing stresses on that face.
The other principal plane AB is at right angle to AC.

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 CONT…
1. The maximum vertical stress occurs at the toe (d/s
edge of the horizontal section).
The major principal stress is given by:-

Where:- σd = major principal stress,

fyd = maximum vertical stress,
ϕd = angle which the d/s face makes with the vertical,
p'= water pressure at the toe (= H’ water* γ ) and
pe’=hydrodynamic pressure due to earthquake at toe.
If there is no tail water:-

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 Cont…
2. The shear stress acts at the base (plane BC) on
which the vertical stress is acting.
The maximum shear stress at the d/s edge toe is
given by:-
if P’ and Pe’=0, then the equation reduces to

The direction of the shear stress is towards the

upstream.

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 Reservoir Empty Condition
The plane DF at right angles to the u/s face ED of the dam
is the minor principal plane and the u/s of the dam DE is the
major principal plane.
1. The maximum vertical stress occurs at the heel (u/s edge
of the horizontal section).
The principal stress is given by:-

Where:-
σu = principal stress,
fyu = maximum vertical stress at the heel,
ϕu = angle which the u/s face makes with the vertical,
p= water pressure at the heel (= H water* γ ) and
pe=hydrodynamic pressure due to earthquake at the heel.
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 Cont…
For reservoir empty condition, p and Pe=0, then the
above equation is reduced to:-

2. The maximum shear stress at the heel is given by:-

If P=Pe=0, then the equation is reduced to:-

The direction of shear stress is towards the

downstream
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 Gravity method of analysis
The following procedure is commonly used:-
1. Determine all the forces acting per unit length of the
dam. Determine the horizontal and vertical components
of all forces.
2. Find the algebraic sum of all horizontal and vertical
components.
3. Determine the moment of all the force components
about toe (d/s edge). Find the algebraic sum of the
resisting (ΣMR) and overturning (ΣMo) moments.
Also determine the net moment (ΣM) about the toe.
Thus, Σ M = Σ MR ‐ Σ Mo
4. Determine the distance of the point where the resultant
(R) strikes the horizontal section or the
base. = Σ M / Σ V
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 Cont…
5. Determine the eccentricity (e) of the resultant,
e=0.5B‐
The eccentricity is measured from the center of the
dam and it is equal to the distance b/n the center of
the base and the point where the resultant strikes the
base.
Generally, the eccentricity is considered positive
when it is on the right side (d/s side) of the center.
6. Determine the vertical stress at the toe and heel of
the dam.

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 Cont…
7. Calculate the principal stress and check
whether it is within the safe limits and also the
stresses.
8. Determine the factor of safety against sliding.
9. Determine the factor of safety against
overturning.
10. Determine the tensile stresses if the
eccentricity is greater than B/6, and check
whether they are within the limits.

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 Construction of Concrete dams

Before the actual construction of a dam, the water

from the river channel must be temporarily
diverted. The diversion of water can be achieved
either of the following two methods:
1. Provision of diversion tunnel: if the geological and
topographic conditions are suitable, a diversion tunnel (or
channel) can be constructed to bypass the flow to
downward. The area for the construction site should be
closed by u/s and d/s coffer dams depending the site
condition.

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 Cont.…

Figure 2-14: Diversion tunnel/channel

1. By constructing the dam in two stages: in this case, the flow is confined to one side of
the channel by constructing a semi-circular type of coffer dam. The construction can be
done within water free area. This method is suitable for concrete dam types as it
tolerates overflowing.

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 Cont.…

Figure 2-15: Two stage construction

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 Construction of Joints and galleries
1. Joints it is essential to provide suitable joints at appropriate
places.
Depending up on the location and the purpose served, the joints
are classified as:
A. Construction joints:
are provided for ease in construction of the dam..
B. Contraction joints:
are provided to relief the thermal stresses in the concrete and
to prevent the development of horizontal and vertical cracks in
the body of the dam.
It can be provided in to traversal and longitudinal joints.
Traverse joints are provided normal to the axis of the dam and
are vertical, extended from the foundation to the top of the
dam.
Longitudinal joints are provided parallel to the axis of the dam
to prevent vertical cracks..
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 2. Galleries
are horizontal or sloping openings left in
the body of the dam.
It is a small passage in a dam for
providing an access to the interior of the
dam, and
is rectangular in shape with flat or
semi‐circular at the top.
It should be sufficiently large to serve
the required purpose.
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 CONT…
Galleries may serve to one or more of the following purposes:
1. as drainage gallery,
2. For providing space for equipment required for drilling holes and
grouting the holes to form a grout curtain in the foundation;
3. Access to the interior of the dam for inspection and maintenance;
4. To provide space for installing various instruments in the dam to
study its structural behavior;
5. To provide space for electrical and mechanical equipment for the
operation of gates for outlet conduits, penstocks or spillways;
6. To provide space through the dam for control cable and power
cables; and
7. To provide space for the visitors

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 Temperature control in dams
When cement concrete sets, a large amount of heat
is librated.
This heat raises the temperature within the body of
the dam, whereas the outside temperature remains
atmospheric.
This results in the development of the temperature
stress in the dam.
When the concrete cools down, it shrinks and the
shrinkage stresses are developed.
Due to this, cracks may develop. The following
measures are usually adopted to control the
temperature in the dam:
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 CONT…
The following measures are usually adopted to
control the temperature in the dam:-
1. Pre‐cooling: the ingredients are cooled
before mixing with water and even cold water
also used for mixing.
2. Post‐cooling: the concrete mixture will be
cooled after it has been placed in position. It
is usually done by circulating cold water
through pipes already embedded in the
concrete.
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 Example 2.1

For the following situation calculate;

•The maximum vertical stresses at the toe and heel of the dam.
•The major principal stresses at the toe of the dam.
•The intensity of shear stresses at the toe of the dam.
6m
R.L.= 289
R.L.=285
•R.L.= 280

2
3
R.L.=211

R.L. =205
8m

56m

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 Example 2.2

For the following section of gravity dam examine the stability, take the horizontal and vertical earth-
quake force as 0.1 g and 0.05 g respectively,

 assume area factor as 60%,  c  24 kNand

/ m3  w  10 kN / m 3
The satiability analysis should be carried out for both reservoir empty and reservoir full condition.

7m
4m
10 m

26 m

86 m

6m
63 m
69 m

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