There are several types of dams classified based on size, structure, and materials. Dams are classified as large or small based on height and storage capacity. Structurally, dams include gravity dams, arch dams, arch-gravity dams, buttress dams, barrages, and embankment dams such as earthfill and rockfill dams. Earthfill dams are further divided into homogeneous, zoned, rolled fill, and hydraulic fill dams. Dams serve various purposes like water supply, flood control, irrigation, hydroelectric power and recreation. However, dams can also negatively impact the environment by disrupting natural water flows and fish migration.

1. Types of
DAMS
•Arvind Gupta
•M. Tech.-AHES(1st Yr.)
•12512006

2. Contents:
• Definitions
• Purposes
• Classifications
– On the basis of size
– On the basis of structure and material used
• Environmental issues
• References

3. Definitions:
• A dam is a structure which prevents the flow of
water and accumulates it in a reservoir
• Dam is a solid barrier constructed at a suitable
location across a river valley to store flowing water.
• A barrier constructed across a waterway to control
the flow or raise the level of water.

4. Purpose:
1. Drinking and domestic water supply
2. Flood control
3. Irrigation
4. Industrial water supply
5. Hydroelectric energy production
6. Retention and control of sediments
7. Inland navigation
8. Improvement of water quality
9. Fish Farming
10. Recreation facilities

5. Classification of Dams

6. According to size of a Dam
Large dams
Small dams
– According to International commission on Large
Dams, a dam is big if height is more than 15m.
– According to ICOLD, if the height is between 10m-
15m the dams is big:
• If the crest length is bigger than 500m
• If the reservoir capacity is larger than 1 million m3
• If the flood discharge is more than 2000 m3/s

7. According to Height of dam
• High Dam
– If the height is more than 100m.
• Medium Dam
– If the height is between 50-100m
• Low Dam
– If the height is below 50

8. According to structure and materials
used
• Gravity dams
• Arch dams
• Arch-gravity dams
• Buttress dams
• Barrages
• Embankment dams
– Homogeneous earth dams
– Non-Homogeneous (zoned) earth dams
– Rolled fill earth dams
– Hydraulic fill dam

9. Gravity Dams

10. • Gravity dams are dams which resist the horizontal thrust of
the water entirely by their own weight. They use their weight
to hold back the water in the reservoir.
• The section of the gravity dam is approximately triangular in
shape, with its apex at its top and maximum width at bottom.
• A gravity dam is generally straight in plan and, therefore, it is
also called straight gravity dam.
• A gravity dam is made of concrete or masonry.
• It requires great quantities of material to construct.

11. Section of a Gravity Dam

13. • The non-overflow section and
• The over flow section or spillway section.

14. Bhakra Dam, Himachal Pradesh - India's second tallest at 225.55 m

15. Arch Dam

16. • An arch dam is curved in plan, with its convexity towards the
upstream side. They transfers the water pressure and other forces
mainly to the abutments by arch action.

17. • An arch dam is quite suitable for narrow canyons with
strong flanks.
• The section of an arch dam is approximately triangular
like a gravity dam but the section is comparatively
thinner.
• An arch dam is most suitable for narrow gorges.
• Since they are thinner than any other dam type, they
require much less construction material, making them
economical and practical in remote areas.
• The foundation or abutments for an arch dam must be
very stable and proportionate to the concrete.

19. • There are two basic designs for an arch dam:
– constant-radius dams, which have constant radius
of curvature, and
– variable-radius dams, which have both upstream
and downstream curves that systematically
decrease in radius below the crest
• A dam that is double-curved in both its
horizontal and vertical planes may be called
a dome dam.

20. Idukki Dam, Kerala- First Arch dam in India

21. Arch-Gravity Dam

22. • An arch-gravity dam, curved-gravity
dam or arched dam is a dam with the
characteristics of both an arch dam and a gravity
dam.
• It combines the strengths of two common dam
forms and is considered a compromise between
the two.
• A gravity dam can be combined with an arch dam
into an arch-gravity dam for areas with massive
amounts of water flow but less material available
for a purely gravity dam.

23. Hoover dam, Arizona, US

24. Buttress dams

25. • A buttress dam or hollow dam is a dam with a
solid, water-tight upstream side that is supported
at intervals on the downstream side by a series
of buttresses or supports.
• The dam wall may be flat or curved.
• In comparison with massive gravity
dams, buttress dams save 40 percent and more in
concrete and costs.

26. Buttress Dam

27. Buttress Dam

28. Barrages

29. • A barrage dam is a special kind of dam which
consists of a line of large gates that can be
opened or closed to control the amount of
water passing the dam.
• The gates are set between flanking piers
which are responsible for supporting the
water load.
• They are often used to control and stabilize
water flow of rivers for irrigation systems.

30. Farakka barrage, WB

31. Embankment Dams

32. A dam composed of any type of soil including rock is
known as embankment dams. These are classified into
two main categories :
• Earth-fill dams
• An earthfill dam is an embankment dam, constructed
primarily of compacted earth, either homogeneous or
zoned, and containing more than 50% of earth.
• Rock-fill dams
• An embankment type of dam, dependent for its stability
primarily on rock.
• The earth utilized often contains a large percentage of
large particles hence the term rock-fill.

33. Rock-fill Dam:
• An embankment consisting of various sizes of rock to
provide stability and an impervious core of membrane to
provide water-tightness.
• The impervious zone may be on the upstream face and
made of masonry, concrete, plastic membrane, steel
sheet piles, timber or other material.
• The impervious zone may also be within the
embankment in which case it is referred to as a core.

34. Upstream core
Sloping core
Central core

35. New Melones Dam, California, US

36. Earthfill dams:
.
• Local available soil is the main construction material
• It must be sufficiently impervious to prevent excessive
loss of water through the dam.
• The soil should develop a maximum practical shear
strength under compaction and maintain most of it after
the filling of the reservoir;
• It must not consolidate, soften or liquify upon saturation.

37. Ranjit Sagar Dam, Punjab

38. Types of Earthfill dams:
• Homogeneous earth dams
• Non-Homogeneous (zoned) earth dams
• Rolled fill earth dams
• Hydraulic fill dam

39. Homogeneous earth dams
• These dams are constructed with uniform and
homogeneous materials. It is suitable for low height
dams (up to 10m).
• The seepage action of such dams are not favourable,
therefore, for safety in case of rapid drawdown, the
upstream slope is kept relatively flat (3:1)
• Homogeneous section is modified by constructing rock
toe at the downstream lower end and providing
horizontal filter drain.

40. Homogeneous earth dams

41. Non-Homogeneous (zoned) earth
dams
• These are dams with the central portions called core
or hearting made from materials which are relatively
impervious.
• The thickness of the core wall is made sufficiently
thick to prevent leakage of water through the body
of the dam.

42. Rolled fill earth dams
• An embankment dam of earth or rock in which the
material is placed in layers and compacted by the use of
rollers or rolling equipment.
• In this type of dams, successive layers of moistened or
damp soils are laid one over the other. Each layer not
exceeding 20 cm in thickness is properly consolidated at
optimum moisture content, only then is the next layer
laid.

43. Hydraulic Fill dams
• During construction, a mixture of excavated materials in slurry
condition is pumped and discharged at the edges.
• When it is discharged near the outer edges, the coarser
materials settle first at the edges, while the finer materials
move to the middle and settle there.
• Fine particles are deposited in the central portion to form a
water tight central core. In this method, compaction is not
required.

44. Rubber Dam
• Inflatable rubber dams are cylindrical rubber fabrics
placed across channels, streams and weir or dam
crests to raise the upstream water level when inflated.
• The membrane is a multi-layer fabric made of synthetic
fibre (usually nylon)and rubberised on one or both
sides.
• The fabric is quite flexible and yet exhibits good wear-
resistance characteristics

45. Jhanjavathi Rubber Dam, Andhra Pradesh- India’s 1st Rubber dam

46. Environmental Issues:
• Dams disturb natural fluctuations in water flow
• Dams block migratory fish species from their spawning
and feeding sites
• Water quality can be degraded
• The transport of sediment along the river is disrupted
• Reservoirs can emit climate-changing greenhouse gases

47. References
• Varshney, R. S., Hydro Power Structures
• Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam
• http://www.idk.kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85
&Itemid=58
• http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-
contents/IIT%20Kharagpur/Water%20Resource%20Engg/
• pdf/m4l06.pdf
• http://beengineeringinfo.blogspot.in/2012/04/types-of-dams-introduction-
and.html
• http://www.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/dams/emba/emba.htm
• http://theconstructor.org/water-resources/earthfill-dams-its-classification/2273/

48. Thank You!

49. Questions..??