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SANCOLD Conference 2017: Concrete Dam Types and the circumstances and conditions that favour one type over another

By Dr QHW Shaw. ARQ Consulting Engineers, South Africa.

Concrete dam types all comprise a combination of cementitious materials and processed rock, but while the rock materials are sometimes processed in different ways, different dam types can involve placement and compaction applying quite different methods. Furthermore, the different concrete dam types also include a number of quite different structure types.

Each dam project will involve a dam type selection study, during which the optimal dam type will be identified. The simpler concrete dam types are easily reviewed and compared against other dam types during this process. The more complex and less obvious concrete dam types, however, are often inadequately considered, sometimes actually unnecessarily compromising the economic feasibility of the dam site/scheme under consideration, and it is clear that a full understanding of concrete dam types does not generally exist. For example, RCC gravity dams are now often assumed to be the most competitive concrete dam type for many sites, where competing directly with embankment dam types, and consequently, the associated circumstances that might favour a conventional concrete structure are often not adequately understood. In this paper, the author describes the various possible concrete-based dam types and discusses the particular circumstances that favour one type over another, explaining the key aspects of a site that should be reviewed to establish the respective suitability.