This course explores the geotechnical aspect of dam engineering. There has been a recent resurgence in dam upgrades and new dams in Australia and abroad, driven largely by influences of a changing climate, changes in population, and the growth of renewable energy requirements through hydroelectricity and pumped hydro. This course will establish the foundations for dam engineers and geotechnical engineers to design and assess new and existing dams.
The course is structured by consideration of various geotechnical failure mechanisms for dams, in much the same way that would be considered in a failure modes workshop in industry. The key fundamental elements of the failure modes will be discussed, in addition to practical considerations for these failure modes. Focus will also be drawn to the challenges and uncertainties associated these failure modes. The key geotechnical failure modes covered are hydraulic/seepage, sliding and overturning instability, internal erosion, and liquefaction response of soils. While the course predominantly focuses on water retaining dams, breadth sessions will be also be provided to show application of these concepts to tailings dam. In particular, current best practices for assessing strength and deformation of tailings dam will be discussed, along with consideration of unsaturated tailings.
