A dam is a structure often maximised by a lot of countries these days. It is built across a river or a stream, making sure it can hold water back.

This structure should always be planned and designed optimally. Failure to account for little details about its location, structure, and others can already be an issue later for the state and the communities nearby. If its structures are not strong enough, they may become damaged until their impounded water floods nearby communities.

Engineering Design of a Dam

A dam may look simple, but the whole planning and design phases of this structure would often take multiple professionals before they can be completed. It would also take a lot of time, money, and energy to ensure that a dam can be constructed and work optimally.

Some specialists needed to design a dam are civil engineers, geologists, geotechnical engineers, hydrologists, and surveyors. Here are some of their notable roles.

  • Civil Engineers: Working alongside other engineering specialists, civil engineers often gather all the information needed to plan and design the dam layout. They would typically consider the structures around the dam, ensuring that they can support it optimally. They would then thoroughly think about the location of the dam and gauge if it can hold the water in the reservoir. They would likewise consider the areas where the rock or soil is strong as well as the forces that can potentially affect the dam and its foundation.
  • Geologists: Geologists, on the other hand, work by investigating the geology of the prospective dam location. They can provide a full picture of the characteristics of soils and rocks below the ground surface. These characteristics include their types, thickness, slope directions, and so on. Their expertise allows them to assess the ground quality and confirm if water leakage from the reservoir may happen.
  • Geotechnical Engineers: Geotechnical engineers often check if the rock or soil foundation below the dam structure is strong enough to support its weight. They often see if the dam foundation is permeable. If it is, they would highly recommend treating the foundation first before constructing the dam fully.
  • Hydrologists: Hydrologists are responsible for checking the quantity and movement of water at the site where a dam will be constructed. They would measure how much rain is likely to fall on the area, how much of it will saturate the ground, and how it will move through the site. Knowing these details helps them identify the amount of water that may flow normally into the dam reservoir each year and confirm the needed size of the reservoir. Hydrologists also estimate the size of the waves on the dam due to wind.
  • Surveyors: Surveyors, finally, intend to measure and survey the land at various sites that can be maximised for building a dam. They often rely on computer-based measuring instruments, aerial photographs, and geographical knowledge to produce quality results. The maps they produce can often help other experts plan and design a dam.

Basic Dam Design Principles

When designing a dam, experts often start by specifying its purpose. Some dams may be generated to supply water, while others may be used for irrigation, transportation, power generation, or flood mitigation. An architecture layout and location are then planned and finalised based on the purpose of the structure. Subsequently, a site investigation will be launched by professionals to avoid future failures. Laboratory and field testing, hydrology study, and assessment of loading and safety factors will be done after the investigation.

Foundation, seepage control, and river diversion designs are ultimately created to ensure that a dam can carry out its purpose for a long time.

To know more about dam design and construction, you can contact us at Shillong Design.