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Engineering Geology

Engineering Geology - geomuseu

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Chapter 9<br />

Uplift pressure acts against the base of a dam and is caused by water seeping beneath it that<br />

is under hydrostatic head from the reservoir. Uplift pressure should be distinguished from the<br />

pore water pressure in the material beneath a dam. The uplift pressure on the heel of a dam<br />

is equal to the depth of the foundation below water level multiplied by the unit weight of<br />

the water. In the simplest case, it is assumed that the difference in hydraulic heads between the<br />

heel and the toe of the dam is dissipated uniformly between them. The uplift pressure can be<br />

reduced by allowing water to be conducted downstream by drains incorporated into the<br />

foundation and base of the dam.<br />

When load is removed from a rock mass on excavation, it is subject to rebound. The amount<br />

of rebound depends on the modulus of elasticity of the rocks concerned, the larger the<br />

modulus of elasticity, the smaller the rebound. The rebound process in rocks generally takes<br />

considerable time to achieve completion and will continue after a dam has been constructed<br />

if the rebound pressure or heave developed by the foundation material exceeds the effective<br />

weight of the dam. Hence, if heave is to be counteracted, a dam should impose a load on<br />

the foundation equal to or slightly in excess of the load removed.<br />

All foundation and abutment rocks yield elastically to some degree. In particular, the modulus<br />

of elasticity of a rock mass is of primary importance as far as the distribution of stresses<br />

at the base of a concrete dam is concerned. What is more, tensile stresses may develop<br />

in concrete dams when the foundations undergo significant deformation. The modulus of<br />

elasticity is used in the design of gravity dams for comparing the different types of foundation<br />

rocks with each other and with the concrete of the dam. In the design of arch dams, if Young’s<br />

modulus of the foundation has a lower value than that of the concrete or varies widely in the<br />

rocks against which the dam abuts, then dangerous stress conditions may develop in the<br />

dam. The elastic properties of a rock mass and existing strain conditions assume importance<br />

in proportion to the height of a dam since this influences the magnitude of the stresses<br />

imparted to the foundation and abutments. The influence of geological structures in lowering<br />

Young’s modulus must be accounted for by the provision of adequate safety factors. It should<br />

also be borne in mind that blasting during excavation of foundations can open up fissures and<br />

joints that leads to greater deformability of the rock mass. The deformability of the rock mass,<br />

any possible settlements and the amount of increase of deformation with time can be taken<br />

into consideration by assuming lower moduli of elasticity in the foundation or by making<br />

provisions for prestressing.<br />

<strong>Geology</strong> and Dam Sites<br />

Of the various natural factors that directly influence the design of dams, none is more important<br />

than the geological, not only do they control the character of the foundation but they also<br />

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