Dams & Hydro
Geotech
Advanced Numerical Analysis
A Review of the Stability Acceptance Criteria of Concrete Gravity Dams
SANCOLD 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE 6-7 November 2024
By Ryan Cassells, ARQ Dams Pty Ltd
-co-author M Blaeser, ARQ Dams Pty Ltd, South Africa.
The various guidelines for concrete gravity dam design, as provided by different dam engineering bodies, indicates that published dam design criteria of the various bodies are not necessarily the same and may differ considerably. It is noted that the different guidelines are proposed by bodies from different countries and regions of the world, where local conditions may typically differ in terms of dam design and safety evaluation considerations.
South Africa does not explicitly have a dam design code or guidelines to regulate the structural design of concrete gravity dams, and usually international accepted design manuals or proposed best practices are considered when undertaking dam designs. As a result of this, South African dam engineers are not restricted to comply with a local design code and must exercise sound judgement and experience when selecting design criteria prescribed by international dam engineering bodies.
As a result of significant differences in internationally prescribed standards, dam designers in South Africa have a certain degree of flexibility when adopting criteria for the design basis of a project. This flexibility comes with a sense of accountability as dam engineers need to justify the selection of a particular guideline criteria, meaning a good understanding of the basis of these guidelines is required.
This paper provides a summary of the commonly adopted international dam design criteria from various bodies with a focus on the differences between the prescribed considerations and criteria.
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