Preface

Engineering of dams and their auxiliary structures involves a wide range of processes rang‐ ing from planning to operation stages to providing electricity generation, water supply, flood control, and some other services. In other words, it should include not only the con‐ struction, but also interdisciplinary studies to ensure that the dam can be used economically for a long time. In addition, dam safety is a very important issue and their construction should not cause problems in terms of public safety.

Dam engineering assists in selecting the appropriate dam location, taking into account the hydrological balance, geotechnical conditions, and economic and environmental impacts that may occur during the operation stage. For this purpose, various computer programs are used to analyze water and ground samples and to investigate potential ground motion problems. In structural and hydraulic design analysis, the behavior of soil and rock fill is evaluated under separate loading conditions. The risk of the dam is assessed against the ground movements associated with the earthquake by means of seismic analysis. It includes material tests with advanced devices for control of soil, rock, and concrete materials to be used during the construction stage, measurement, and observation processes during the construction stage and preparation of an emergency action plan for the operation stage.

This book presents recent research in the different fields of dam engineering and consists of five chapters. Each of these chapters contain valuable study on specified areas of dam engi‐ neering. The first chapter involves a study that was performed on constructing high rockfill dams on thick overburden layers, based on Chinese practices. The second chapter presents the results of an investigation performed on seismic cracks in an earth dam by centrifugal loading test, based on Japanese dams. The third chapter deals with the processes of a singlephase three-dimensional CFD model of hydrodynamics in a dam reservoir in Poland. In the fourth chapter, large scale modeling of a dam break is discussed using actual projects in Kyrgyzstan. The fifth chapter focuses on the influence of geological structures on dam be‐ havior when considering large dams in Iran.

I hope that this book provides an opportunity for readers working in the field of dam issues to study recent scientific research and the latest knowledge.

> **Prof. Dr. Hasan Tosun** Osmangazi University Eskisehir, Turkey

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**Practices in Constructing High Rockfill Dams on Thick**

**Practices in Constructing High Rockfill Dams on Thick** 

Rockfill dams are very widely constructed all over the world due to their good adaptability to diverse geological and geographical conditions, and their relatively low cost compared to other dam types. However, natural satisfactory sites are increasingly difficult to find in many countries due to past dam development. In some circumstance, building dams over thick overburden layers is unavoidable. In this chapter, Chinese practices in constructing high earth and rockfill dams over thick overburden layers are reviewed. The geological and geotechnical investigation techniques are briefly summarized, and seepage control systems of some selected cases as well as the connection of the impervious systems of both the dams and their foundation layers are described. Commonly used foundation improvement techniques are also presented, followed by simple descriptions

**Keywords:** rockfill dam, overburden layer, seepage control, foundation treatment,

Various types of dams have been increasingly constructed all over the world for irrigation, flood controlling, power generation, environment protection, etc. [1]. Normally, most dams are preferentially built on rock foundations where seepage control is not a very difficult task. However, with the exploitation and exhaust of natural satisfactory dam sites, many new dams have to be constructed on thick overburden layers, as better sites are not available and removal of the existing overburden is technically or economically unfeasible. This adverse situation is often encountered along many hydropower-rich rivers in the southwest and

> © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78547

**Overburden Layers**

**Overburden Layers**

Zhongzhi Fu, Shengshui Chen and Enyue Ji

Zhongzhi Fu, Shengshui Chen and Enyue Ji

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

of aspects that require further research and development.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78547

**Abstract**

in-situ test

**1. Introduction**

#### **Practices in Constructing High Rockfill Dams on Thick Overburden Layers Practices in Constructing High Rockfill Dams on Thick Overburden Layers**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78547

Zhongzhi Fu, Shengshui Chen and Enyue Ji Zhongzhi Fu, Shengshui Chen and Enyue Ji

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78547

#### **Abstract**

Rockfill dams are very widely constructed all over the world due to their good adaptability to diverse geological and geographical conditions, and their relatively low cost compared to other dam types. However, natural satisfactory sites are increasingly difficult to find in many countries due to past dam development. In some circumstance, building dams over thick overburden layers is unavoidable. In this chapter, Chinese practices in constructing high earth and rockfill dams over thick overburden layers are reviewed. The geological and geotechnical investigation techniques are briefly summarized, and seepage control systems of some selected cases as well as the connection of the impervious systems of both the dams and their foundation layers are described. Commonly used foundation improvement techniques are also presented, followed by simple descriptions of aspects that require further research and development.

**Keywords:** rockfill dam, overburden layer, seepage control, foundation treatment, in-situ test
