Buttress dam

Buttress dam is a water-tight dam supported at intervals on the downstream side by a series of buttresses or supports. [cite web
url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/dams/gloss/fg.htm
title= Glossary
publisher=
accessdate=2007-02-05] The dam wall may be flat or curved. Most buttress dams are made of reinforced concrete and are heavy, pushing the dam into the ground. Water pushes against the dam, but the buttresses are inflexible and prevent the dam from falling over. [cite web
url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/dam/buttress_forces.html
title=Buttress dam forces
publisher=
accessdate=2007-02-05]

Buttress dams were originally built to retain water for irrigation or mining in areas of scarce resources but cheap labor where materials were scarce or expensive but labour was cheap. A buttress dam is a good choice in wide valleys where solid rock is rare. [cite web
url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/dams/conc/concf19.htm
title=Introduction to Buttress Dams
publisher=
accessdate=2007-02-05]

As designs have become more sophisticated, the virtues and weaknesses of the buttress type dams have become apparent. The Romans were the first to use buttresses to increase the stability of a dam wall. [cite web
url=http://simscience.org/cracks/advanced/butt_hist1.html
title=Key Developments in the History of Buttress Dams
publisher=
accessdate=2007-02-05]

ee also

*Clywedog reservoir
*Coolidge Dam
*Mountain Dell Dam

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/dams/conc/concf18.htm Buttress dams Table of contents]
* [http://simscience.org/cracks/advanced/butt_char1.html An introduction to buttress dams]