Rockfill Dams: Steel Faced Dams

Speed of construction and structural integrity were the chief advantages gained by the use of a steel-plate facing on a rockfill dam built in Venezuela in 1958. At present, steel-plate facing is seldom considered for use on earth and rockfill dams, although a number of such dams have been built in the past and have seen many years of satisfactory service. The principal reasons for not considering steel facing the dams have been concern about possible corrosion of the steel and cost. However, the advantages offered by steel-plate impervious membranes for dams are such as to justify the consideration of this type of construction under some site conditions. Experience with structures in the Western United States gives weight to this statement.