Findings of Case Histories on the Long-Term Performance of Seepage Barriers in Dams
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VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLEPublication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 1
Abstract
In a vast majority of cases, seepage barriers increase the reliability of dams. However, it is important to recognize that seepage barriers often drastically increase hydraulic gradients around the boundaries of the barrier, and through any windows or defects in the barrier. The result is increased water pressures and hydraulic gradients behind and around the barrier. These increased pressures and gradients have potential to provide the catalyst for initiation of several modes of internal erosion that were either unlikely or less likely without the seepage barrier. As a consequence, seepage barriers give rise to the potential for additional mechanisms of internal erosion and piping in the dam and the foundation. A compendium of 30 case histories of dams that have had seepage barriers in place for over 10 years has been assembled, and observations and insights garnered from these case studies were compiled. Finite-element seepage and deformation analyses have been performed to provide better understanding of the performance of seepage barriers and the mechanisms that affect their performance. This paper presents a summary of our findings from the case histories and the analyses performed.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Dr. Richard R. Davidson of URS Corporation for his consultation and assistance in gathering data for this project. This research was supported by funding from the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the United States Society on Dams.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 136 • Issue 1 • January 2010
Pages: 2 - 15
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© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 31, 2008
Accepted: Jun 16, 2009
Published online: Jun 18, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2010
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