Engineering guide to the safety of concrete and masonry dam structures in the UK (R148)

This publication sets out to give comprehensive advice on matters related to the safety of concrete and masonry dams and associated dam structures in the UK. It gives a background to the design and construction of dams, describing how design methods developed and the features that occur in older structures. A section on ancillary structures also embraces those on embankment dams by describing typical layouts and arrangements of pipes, valves and gates and dealing with electrical and mechanical equipment, its testing and maintenance. The guide sets out to give practical guidance on dam maintenance by describing how dams deteriorate, how they can be investigated, instrumented, monitored, subjected to planned surveillance and rectified. It contains appendices to give more detail on particular aspects of reservoir safety, a list of useful references covering text books and published papers, tables of some typical parameters for guidance, and figures and photographs to illustrate new and old construction techniques and surveillance methods.

Keywords: dams and reservoirs, health and safety.

ISBN: 978-0-86017-432-5

Author: M R Kennard, L L Owens and R A Reader

Number of pages: 176 (paperback)

Publisher: CIRIA

Date of Publication: January 1996