Dams and civil works
Arch, gravity, concrete, earth or rockfill dams: they are some of the many types of dams! The dams are the type of works that best reflect the level of competence achieved.
They are the perfect example of multidisciplinarity and a concentrate of the various civil works we are able to realize.
Dams are architectural works designed and built with the aim of regulating the flow of waterways such as rivers and streams. Their activity is useful both to ensure the safety of the surroundings and to increase the production of electricity.
The construction of a dam involves the creation of water basins or reservoirs that are exploited by the nearby hydropower plants: the water flow is derived by supply works in order to feed the turbines and to produce energy.
Thanks to hydropower plants, it is therefore able to produce sustainable energy.
Design features
Uniqueness
Each dam, whether large or small, is unique: designed and built to coexist with the environment.
Resilience
Dams are designed to work for long periods with high stresses.
Multidisciplinarity
The design of a dam involves experience and its realization involves different disciplines and specialists.
Dams goals
Dams are used to store water in artificial reservoirs, conserving the resource for human independently of natural runoff.
They have been essential for human development, for supporting agriculture and the drinking water supply of large communities. The cultural and political development of populations and empires has always gone hand in hand with the ability to manage the water resource, to regulate its use and to be able to manage it. The reservoirs can provide energy for industry sector, they store water to produce mechanical or electrical energy, they can ensure floods control and available water agains fires. Furthermore, the reservoirs can be built for navigation, transport, environmental and recreational purposes. The availability of energy from hydropower source has supported worldwide the industrial development, the electrification of railways and the reduction of coal for energy production with enormous environmental benefits.
The design and development of dams and artificial reservoirs is essential for developing and emerging countries such as Brazil, India, China, Turkey and Africa.
Italy counts on an ancient experience gained in the design and construction of important infrastructural systems. Italian engineerrs and builders are involved in the most prestigious projects in the world, deeply appreciated for their professionalism and expertise in finding valid and intelligent solutions.
Types of dams
Fill dams
Fill dams are the simplest type of dam to be build and for this reason they are the most common ones. They are cheap and do not require special foundations, but they cannot be overflowed. Depending on the used materials, they are divided into: homogeneous dams which consist of waterproof earth, for minor structures; zoned earth dams which consist of earth or rocks, with a waterproof core made up of geomembrane or bitumen; dams made up of loose materials, earth or stones, with upstream waterproof layer.
Masonry dams
Masonry dams are suitable where the foundations are not yielding at the valley floor and along the abutments. They are divided into: masonry dams, concrete gravity dams, simple and double arch dams and cupola dam, reinforced concrete dams, roller compacted concrete dams (RCC).
Crib dams
Crib dams are important in wooded areas and parks, where they allow water regulation and the creation of fire-fighting ponds with local and environmentally compatible materials.
Main components
Dams require certain ancillary structures to perform their function:
Spillways
Outlets and intake works
Provisional works for water derivation
Sealing works
Internal drains
Internal culverts
Tools and monitoring
Our expertise at you service
We count on more than 40 years of experience in the field of hydraulic works, intake and accumulation works for hydropower purposes.
Thanks to the acquisition of the company branch of Waterways S.r.l. for the activities related to dams and civil works, we can count on the expertise related to the design and the construction phase supervision of 101 dams and weirs as well as other related services: safety checks, operating conditions and maintenance, due diligences and other technical services for dams up to 260 meters high in Italy and abroad.
Our expertise at you service.
Other areas of expertise
Dams and civil works
Arch, gravity, concrete, earth or rockfill dams: they are some of the many types of dams! The dams are the type of works that best reflect the level of competence achieved.
They are the perfect example of multidisciplinarity and a concentrate of the various civil works we are able to realize.
