A PROJECT REPORT ON DESIGN OF AN EARTHEN DAM

Abstract

1.1 INTRCOUCTION : Earthen Dams are water impounding structures composed of fragmental materials. These materials are made up of discrete particles which maintain their individual indentities and which have spaces or voids between them. They derive their strength from position, internal friction and mutual attraction their particles. Unlike materials which are rigidly cemented together, they form'a some what flexible structures which can deform slightly to conform to the deflection of the foundation without failure. Earths and rockfill dams have been in exis-ence for countless centuries. Landslides and rock falls in mountainous areas frequently cut off streams and form natural dams, some of which are very large and have'i suprisingly long life. Glacial action has also formed numerous earth dams. It is remarkable how well some of Agarwal Stationers, Nawabganj, Kanpur-2 HARCOUAT BUTLER TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE KANPUR PROJECT REPORT Year ........ Page No 2- these glacial moraine dams have stood up for the ensuring thousand of years. Man has built dikes of earth to impound water since pre historic times. Reserviors to hold water for ,irrigatiOn'have been found kin Iraq Jurdan and Israel which were built by tribes whose other works have since disappeared. The Moti Talab tank in Mysore, India which is over 1000 years old, is an earthern embankment 80ft high of places. Earhthern dams are being constructed now. a—dats at an increasing rate through the world. Many such structures over 300 ft high are successfully impounding water. In fact several earth dams have also been const-ructed even over 500 ft in height. The largest structure ever built by man is an earth dam. The fort Peck dam in Montana has a volume of 100,000,000 cumeter. The water collected in the lake upstream can be used for recreaction or as a reservoir of drinking Agarwal Stationers, Nawabganj, Kanpur-2 HARCOURT BUTLER TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE KANPUR PROJECT REPORT , .. . . .. ... Page No 3 water, or they can be tapped off into surrounding farm land. The energy of this collected water can be used to turn a mill to grind wheat or to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electric power. And in times of floods the dams'can serve as protections for the towns and cities farther down the river. Apart from these numerous Advantages and used such as havigation, irrigation, electricity flood control etc. cif a dam, it somettkes helps us in plahning war stretegy and helps us in controlling the advancement of enemies and their forces. In ancient days, the cost of carriage and dumping of the dam materials was quite high. However the modern developments in earth moving equipments have considerably reduced the cost of carriage and laying of dam materials. It can therefore be said that the use and safety of earth and rockfill dams have been established by long experience of structures both small and large. Agarwal Stationers,