International Symposium on Mitigative Measures against Snow ...

<strong>International</strong> <strong>Symposium</strong> on Mitigative Measures against Snow Avalanches
Egilsstaðir, Iceland, March 11–14, 2008
As mentioned earlier in this text, water and moisture plays a major role in the construction in
projects like these. It is therefore very important to keep water away from the pits so an
otherwise decent material is not made unsuitable for construction. Likewise, the fills in the
dams must be kept in such a state that water always has a safe passage off the surfaces.
6. CONCLUSIONS
Several avalanche protection dams have been constructed in Iceland over the last decade. The
main construction material so far is scree material. Scree material is extremly vulnerable and
sensitive to moisture. It can not be compacted unless the moisture content is suitable for
compaction. If that is not the case, access must be made to alternative fill material that can
function as drainage layer and for construction traffic to operate on. Surface and ground
water must be diverted away from the material both in pits and in the fill and trenches must be
excavated to maintain safe ground water levels under the dam fills. Experience has shown
that only during 3 months of summer construction with scree material is effective.
Reinforced fills have been utilized in avalanche protection in Iceland using two types of
systems. When choosing the appropriate systems, factors like appearance and aesthetics as
well as technical and geotechnical factors must be considered. Furthermore, compatibility
between the front wall and the reinforcing system must be ensured. It is also important to
allow sufficient width of top of dams.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author wants to thank Jón Haukur Steingrímsson and Þröstur Grétarsson for valuable
assistance in writing this article.
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