Hydraulic and structural considerations of dam's spillway - a case study of Karkheh Dam, Andimeshk, Iran

Preserving reservoir safety has recognized to be important for the public where a vast majority of dams are located upstream of greatly populated cities and industrialized areas. Buckling, floatation and cavitation have caused failure in the spillway gates and conveyance features during past catastrophic events; showed their vulnerability and need for regular inspection along with reviewing design calculations to ensure the spillway meet current design standards. This paper investigates the hydraulic and structural consideration of dam\'s spillway by evaluating the data of Karkheh Dam\'s. Discharge capacity, flood routings and cavitation damage risk were main features for hydraulic considerations where hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces and stability conditions were considered in structural considerations.