CE 704 · Chapter 4

Hydropower Engineering past question

4.2.6 Gravity (concrete) dam analysis, stability (overturning, sliding), stress and material failure

A concrete gravity dam shown in figure below was constructed for hydropower project. The dam has a vertical upstream and inclined downstream face. The highest regulated water level (HRWL) of the dam is fixed at 1 m below the top crest level. At HRWL, the storage capacity of reservoir created by the dam is 60 mill m³. The reservoir capacity curve of the dam is shown in figure below. In a flood situation the 80 m long dam creat can serve as a spillway to discharge the flood. Assume density of concrete γc=24 KN/m³ and the friction angle between the dam and foundation φ=43°. a) Find all main forces acting on the dam when the water level in the reservoir is at HRWL. Give your answer in terms of base width "B". b) Find the bottom width "B" and downstream inclined angle α, if dam is at state of moment equilibrium with respect to downstream dam toe. Use a factor of safety against overturning as 1.4. c) Is the dam free from tensile stress? Find the required unit shear resistance (cohesion) if the shear safety factor of the dam is Fsf=2.5. d) In a flood event the dam shown on figure overtopped but didn't fail. The outflow discharge over the dam crest was estimated to 320 m³/s. During this time, the reservoir water level was raised to 722.5 masl(m above sea level). Find the discharge coefficient and give your comments of the value. [3+5+3+5]

View all Hydropower Engineering questions