16
GRAVITY DAM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
CHARLES F. CORNS
Engineering Consultant
Springfield, Virginia
ERNEST K. SCHRADER
Civil Engineer and Concrete Specialist
Walla Walla, Washington
INTRODUCTION
A gravity dam is an essentially solid concrete structure that
resists imposed forces principally by its own weight. Al-
though usually straight in plan, these dams are sometimes
curved or angled to accommodate site topography. They
are the most common of the concrete types and the simplest
type to design and build.
A buttress dam is a gravity structure that, in addition to
its own weight, utilizes the weight of water over the up-
stream face to provide stability. Two of the most common
gravity-buttress dams are the flat-slab type "and the mas-
sive-head type, both discussed in this chapter. The design
and analysis of the multiple-arch type of buttress dam are
closely akin to concrete arch dam design and analysis, and
are discussed in Chapter 17.
A buttress dam requires less concrete than a solid gravity
dam. However, the savings in concrete may be more than
offset by the high cost of form work and reinforcement for
a buttress dam. Many of the buttress dams in the United
States were built 50 or more years ago when labor costs
were relatively low. Although the present ratio of labor to
material costs in the United States is not favorable to a
buttress dam, the buttress is still a viable alternative in
countries where labor costs are relatively low.
The design of gravity and buttress dams involves the col-
lection and consideration of geological, hydrological, and
seismological data; the completion of specific site and dam
type studies; and the investigation of materials and foun-
dation properties. Following those investigations and stud-
ies, the dam layout and analyses may proceed. The layout
466
R. B. Jansen (ed.), Advanced Dam Engineering for Design, Construction, and Rehabilitation
© Van Nostrand Reinhold 1988
GLENN S. TARBOX
Vice President and Chief Engineer
Harm Engineering Company
Chicago, Illinois
establishes the arrangement of project structures, the sec-
tion profiles, and the location and details of other dam fea-
tures such as monolith and construction joints, galleries,
gate chambers, water passages, and grouting and drainage
facilities. The analyses determine the stresses in the struc-
ture and at the foundation, and the safety of the structure
against sliding and overturning for the various loading con-
ditions.
The investigation of an existing dam often involves stud-
ies and investigations similar to those needed for the design
of new dams. In many instances, investigators find insuf-
ficient data in project records to perform an adequate en-
gineering review, and new geological, hydrological, and/
or seismological studies must be made, as well as a detailed
investigation of the engineering properties of the concrete
and foundation. The latter investigations are accomplished
by removing, inspecting, and testing core specimens from
the structure and its foundation. Sometimes nondestructive
tests, such as rebound hammer or sonic velocity measure-
ments, which give only qualitative results, may be helpful
to the evaluation. Even when design records include sta-
bility analyses, new analyses are sometimes required be-
cause original loading conditions and methods of analysis
no longer conform to current criteria and practice. In recent
years, new criteria have evolved for both flood and seismic
loadings, and important advances have been achieved in
analysis methodologies.
The subjects of hydrology, geology, and seismicity are
covered in earlier chapters of this book, and design inves-
tigations of materials and site and dam type studies are ad-
equately discussed elsewhere. I Therefore, it remains for
 GRAVITY DAM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 467

this chapter to present current concepts and practices in re-
gard to loading conditions and methodologies of analysis,
together with descriptions of the principal design features
of gravity and buttress dams.
DESIGN FEATURES
Dam Sections
Conventional Gravity Dams. Gravity dams consist of
nonoverflow and overflow (spillway) sections. Where
power is a purpose, a portion of the nonoverflow portion
of the dam is often utilized as an intake section with water
passages and embedded penstocks leading to the power sta-
tion. Typical sectional details of a gravity dam are illus-
trated by Figs. 16-1 through 16-3. These figures show the
nonoverflow, spillway, and intake sections for the Richard
B. Russell Dam, Savannah River, Georgia.
The nonoverflow sections, sometimes referred to as
bulkhead sections when they flank spillway and/or power
intake sections, usually have a uniform downstream slope
that, when projected, intersects the upstream face near
maximum reservoir level. To meet stability requirements,
the slope is usually in the order of 0.7 to 0.8 horizontally
to 1.0 vertically, depending upon uplift assumptions. The
upstream face normally is vertical, but sometimes a batter
is added, either to increase sliding resistance or to locate
the resultant within the limiting middle third area under the
construction condition. Both faces are sometimes provided
with a fillet at their intersections with the foundation to
reduce stress concentrations. The crest of the section is

1 S,uvic, Ifr}od and oxl, of dam

,
I

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Flood conlrol poel £I 4800

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-=
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£1. 3400

NONOVERFLOW SECTION

Figure 16-1. Nonoverftow section, Richard B. Russell Dam. Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.