On-Demand Webinar: Introduction to Armoring Embankment Dams and Earth-Cut Spillways with ACBs
Association of State Dam Safety Officials, 2014
Over the past 23 years, numerous embankment dams and earth-cut spillways in the United States have been armored with Articulating Concrete Blocks (ACBs) to provide overtopping protection and extend the life of the structures. With the current focus on evaluating and rehabilitating dams throughout the United States to pass increased design flows, the use of this construction technology has become popular. As a result, some ACB manufacturers have made significant investments in research and development of their concrete block systems to evaluate and improve their performance for use on embankment dams and earth-cut spillways, provide design data for designers, and develop more economical embankment armoring solutions. In addition to established ACB manufacturers, researchers from Colorado State University, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have designed, tested, and patented ACB systems for use on embankment dams, spillways, and channels. Several dams and spillways armored with ACBs have been overtopped and performed satisfactorily with overtopping flow depths and velocities approaching 4 feet and 30 feet per second, respectively. Over the same period, at least one known ACB overtopping application has failed. Much has been learned about what works and what does not work.
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Speaker(s): Paul G. Schweiger and Christopher I. Thornton
Revision ID: 2238
Revision Date: 08/19/2022