A STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ASPHALTIC CONCRETE MEMBRANE APPLIED TO EARTH AND ROCKFILL DAMS

Abstract

Asphalt is concrete has been used for upstream membranes for more than 30 years and this type of app-lication has now become well established in many coun-tries . Today fill dams can be built at a reasonable cost even if the natural impervious materials, such as clay and rock rip-rap, are not available locally, so that this type of dam is now providing a competitive answer to the steadily increasing demand for dams for the supply of irrigation water, hydro-electric power and flood con-trol schemes. In wet climates for example, the construction of a clay core is often difficult and delayed by bad weather. In most climates precautions must be taken so that at low storage levels the core does not dry out and become liable to cracking. An asphaltic concrete core can be constructed more rapidly because less material is involved and its subse-quent behaviour is completely independent of humidity conditions. ...