Types of dams

Types of Dams

types of dams

Dams can be grouped according with the kind of material of which built in the following manner; concrete dams are grouped more in line with the way attain their strength and stability.

concrete dams

Concrete Gravity Dams
Concrete Arch Dams
Concrete Buttress Dams

FILL (EMBANKMENT) DAMS

Earth Dams
Earth and rock fill dams
Concrete Faced Rock Fill Dam

Concrete gravity dams are based on the weight of the concrete of which are built to withstand the forces gravity, water pressure, earthquakes to which they are subjected.

Concrete dams Dams buttress arc and can be constructed using a smaller amount of concrete required for a gravity dam and as a result, are cheaper to build. This is possible because Arch and Buttress Dams are designed to transfer some of the loads (forces) on them to the base on which are built ie the strength of the base is used to help withstand the loads which could not be resisted simply by the weight of the dam wall alone. In all cases the impermeable membrane concrete dams is the whole dam wall.

Filler or embankment dams are grouped according to the material they are constructed which, in turn, is related to the type of waterproof membrane used. Earth Dams are built of earth homogeneous material, waterproof waterproof membrane that is the whole dam wall.

Dams fill soil and rock has a relatively narrow core waterproof soil or clay, inside the dam, but most of the dam is built fill permeable rock which, by itself, would be unable to retain water. The waterproof membrane in these dams is the core of clay.

Concrete Faced Rock Fill Dams are constructed of permeable rock fill, the waterproof membrane being a concrete slab built on the upstream face of the dam wall. This type of prey has become increasingly popular over the last 25 years or so. A recent example is the proposal of 205 m Bakun Dam in Malaysia, originally put on hold due to the Asian financial crisis. Three Australian concrete faced rock fill dam (CFRD) constructed in 1970-71 (Pindari, Kangaroo Creek and Cethana) played a significant role in the development of CFRD type dam design.