Publication

Stepped Spillways: Technical Advance from 1900

Michael Pfister
2013
Conference Papers

Abstract

Stepped spillways are currently a standard design in hydraulic engineering. Whereas these spillways were hardly employed until the advent to the Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) Technology in the 1980s, they were of particular interest from the 1990s for spillways of small or medium unit discharge, provided the RCC machinery was available. This paper reviews the technical background of the hydraulic developments of the stepped spillway concept, from roughly 1900 until 1990, when large research projects set in due to the success of the stepped spillway technology. The main steps in the integration of stepped spillways in dam schemes are described, along with isolated research conducted with these and similar structures, so that this paper may be considered an aid in the understanding of the fundamental hydraulic background of stepped spillways. The biographies of the main actors in this research field are also highlighted, including a portrait of the persons concerned.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/ab590eb8-7339-4a37-8689-2d96b4a37045

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Michael Pfister
2013
Conference Papers

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/ab590eb8-7339-4a37-8689-2d96b4a37045

About this result

Related concepts (15)

Spillway

A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure that water does not damage parts of the structure not designed to convey water. Spillways can include floodgates and fuse plugs to regulate water flow and reservoir level. Such features enable a spillway to regulate downstream flow—by releasing water in a controlled manner before the reservoir is full, operators can prevent an unacceptably large release later.

Hydraulic machinery

Hydraulic machines use liquid fluid power to perform work. Heavy construction vehicles are a common example. In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is pumped to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders throughout the machine and becomes pressurized according to the resistance present. The fluid is controlled directly or automatically by control valves and distributed through hoses, tubes, or pipes.

Hydraulic engineering

Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the movement of the fluids. This area of civil engineering is intimately related to the design of bridges, dams, channels, canals, and levees, and to both sanitary and environmental engineering.

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