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EXAMINATION
TVM5115 Planning and Design of Dams
6th December 2011
Time: 900 - 1300

Support materials:
Certain, specified calculator is permitted.
No written or handwritten examination support materials are permitted.

Professional advisor during examination:

Dr. Kiflom Belete
Tlf. 73 59 47 67 / 472 57 440

NTNU, Examination TVM 5115 Planning and Design of Dams

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1. Soil Mechanics
A soil element is subjected to the stress state as given in the Figure 1. v = 500 kPa, h = 200 kPa,
= 50 kPa
v

Figure 1
a) Determine the magnitude of the major and minor principal stresses (1 and 3) and the
maximum shear stress (max).
b) Sketch the arrows representing 1 and 3 and calculate the angle that 1 deviates from
the vertical line.
c) A soil element is subjected to the undrained stress increments 1=100 kPa and 2 = 3
= 25 kPa. Assume that D = 0 and assess the corresponding increase u in the pore pressure
due to the stress increments.
Note: D

m
d

1
1 2 3
3

d 1 3

u m m

A 3m thick layer of gravel with unit weight = 18 kN/m3 is being filled on top of a 10 m deep
deposit of soft clay with unit weight = 20 kN/m3 and an oedometer modulus M 10 . The
original surface level of the soft clay is at el 0. The ground water level is found 2 m below the
clay sediment surface, at el -2.

Figure 2
d)

Calculate the strain for the indicated clay element at el - 4.

e) Assume that the strain at el -4 is close to the average strain over the whole clay sediment
depth of 10 m and estimate the settlement of the original terrain surface due to the gravel
embankment.

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2. Concrete dams
For a new hydropower plant a 20 m high concrete gravity dam with an inclined upstream and
downstream face was proposed. The maximum flood level (MFL) is decided to be one meter below
the crest level. The highest section of the dam is shown in Figure 3. The density of the concrete is
c = 24 kN/m3. The friction angle between the dam and the foundation = 35o, unit shear resistance
(cohesion) c = 500 kN/m2, assume ice load as 100 kN/m.

3m
19 m

20 m

16 m

m
1

0.4

Figure 3
a) Find all main forces acting on the dam when the water level in the reservoir is at MFL. Use
the letter m if needed for your answers.
b) Find the inclination of the upstream face m if the dam is at state of moment equilibrium
with respect to the downstream dam toe. Use a safety factor of SOT = 1.3.
c) To improve the safety of the dam from question b), it was recommended to install rock
anchors in the center of the dam crest with diameter d = 35 mm and design capacity
d = 400 MPa. It is planned to install the rock anchors with a distance c/c 1000 mm. Find
the distance a from downstream toe to the point where the resultant load R strikes the
bottom horizontal dam axis. What can you tell from this about the stress distribution
between the dam and foundation?
d) The dam from question c), is it safe from shear failure? What is the safety factor?
e) What are the different investigations required on the foundation of the dam site in this case?

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3. Rock fill dams

A small rock fill dam is constructed on a firm rock foundation and a zoning as shown on Figure 4.

Figure 4
Table 1: The properties of the materials in the zones are given in the table below:
Material property
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Unit weight, drained
kN/m3
Unit weight, saturated
kN/m3
Shear strength, cohesion kPa
Shear strength, friction angle degree

= 19 kN/m3
* = 20 kN/m3
c = 10 kN/m3
= 30o

= 20 kN/m3
* = 22 kN/m3
c = 0 kN/m3
= 30o

= 19 kN/m3
* = 22 kN/m3
c = 0 kN/m3
= 30o

a) Give the name and their functions of the dam components indicated by number 1, 2 and 3 in
Figure 4.
b) The design wind storm creates a wave regime in the reservoir in front of the dam given by
following characteristic:
Significant wave height,
Hs = 1.37 m
Wave peak period ;
Tp = 4.2 s
Minimum wind duration: T = 3600 s
Calculate the wave run-up on the upstream slope using a run-up factor for rough rock fill slope?
Use the following formulas and table whenever necessary.
,

Iribarren number

Attenuation factor 0

1.5

2.0

0.5 0.75 0.9

2.5

3.0

3.5

1.05 1.15 1.25

4.0

4.5

1.35

1.40

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c) Estimate of effective permeability in the core material. The measured seepage through the dam
at a V-notch weir downstream corresponds to 50 liter per hour per meter length of the dam. Use
this information to make a rough estimate of the average permeability of the core material? The
estimate shall be performed without a rigorous seepage analysis of the dam section?
d) For stability of outer slopes under static loading, use the infinite slope method (ISM) to
determine the factor of safety for a shear surface parallel to the outer slopes for the upstream
slope with the reservoir completely drained.
e) Use ISM to find the safety factor for the upstream and downstream slope with a full reservoir?
f) Describe different causes of failure mechanisms of embankment dams