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Foundation Grouting and Drainage of Dams

August 1, 2005
A well-executed grouting program gives a much-desired measure of safety.

Figure 1. Typical grouting and drainage curtain.
When dealing with dams founded on rock, it is customary to grout and drain the foundation rock of concrete gravity dams. This practice works well for defective as well as sound formations. A well-planned, well-executed grouting program not only will reduce seepage through the rock, but also may disclose the presence of unsuspected weaknesses in the foundation, thus allowing for the improvement of any existing defects. Such a program, therefore, provides an added safety measure and ensures against any potential future troubles.

The most common design consists of a single line of grout holes located near the upstream face of the dam, drilled at 5-foot centers and to a depth ranging from four-tenths to six-tenths of the maximum hydrostatic head on the base of the dam. A corresponding line of drainage holes is drilled a few feet downstream from the grout curtain and to a depth roughly two-thirds to three-quarters that of the cutoff curtain. This grout curtain may be constructed by drilling and grouting from a gallery within the dam, from the top of a specified thickness of concrete, or from the top of foundation rock. If a gallery is provided, then a series of drain holes will be drilled from the gallery and located just downstream of the grout curtain. See Figure 1 for a layout and details of a grouting gallery with foundation grouting holes and foundation drain holes. It is essential to control the grouting pressures so that splitting and lifting of rock will not occur. Thin-bedded rocks are especially susceptible to damage by excessive grout pressures. When a stilling basin (also referred to as an “apron” or “bucket”) is founded on rock, drain holes should be provided in the rock with a collector and discharge system at the founding level for partial relief of the pressure differential.

For dams founded on soil or piling, the soil or pile foundations should have both upstream and downstream cutoff walls (usually steel sheet piling) under the structure proper, plus a cutoff wall underneath the downstream end of the stilling basin. These cutoff walls prevent piping of the foundation material due to seepage pressure. Every effort should be made to provide a reliable drainage system underneath the dam proper and the stilling basin to ensure pressure relief between the cutoffs. A typical system uses 6-inch-diameter stainless steel well screen encased in a 2-foot-thick filter material, combined with access manholes, for relief of excess foundation uplift pressures that build up in the foundation. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes connect the manholes to equalize the pressure in the system, and gate valves are provided so that the manholes can be unwatered to facilitate routine maintenance of the system.
ND

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pumping and drilling equipments

Ben Smith
November 1, 2011
Dear Sir or Madam, We, South of China Pump Service Industry Co., Ltd, is a national own enterprise specializing in supplying and exporting quality pumping and drilling equipments to end-users and distributors all over the world. Our core products mainly include the following items, 1. Submersible water pump, mud pump, vacuum pump, grout pump, single stage and multiple centrifugal pump, mixed flow pump, turbo pump, diaphragm pump, slurry pump, salvage pump, screw pump, and other kinds of industrial pumps. 2. Water well drill rig, DTH drill rig, rotary drill rig, diamond coring drill rig, multipurpose drill rig, and other construction equipments. 3. DTH hammer, DTH bit, DTH drill rod, diamond coring drill rod, core barrel, core box, tricone bit, rotary drill bit and other drilling accessories, such as Atlascopco, Ingersoll Rand, Sandvik, Boart Longyear's products. Thanks to good price and high quality of our products, we are exporting those products to more than 30 countries. In addition to normal models, we are happy to produce special models according to customers' detailed requirements. Welcome your kindly inquiry. Thanks in advance. Yours sincerely, Mr.Ben Smith South of China Pump Service Industry Co,.Ltd. Add: 93 East Zhongshan Road, Ningbo 315000,P.R.China Tel; 86 574 87169792 Fax: 86 574 87169777 Website: www.pumpchn.com Email: sales@pumpchn.com Pumpchn@gmail.com

Grouting design

Antonio Samaniego
December 12, 2023
Design a system to control underground waters ito a mine stopes in a gold mine

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