Performance Survey of Inflatable Dams in Ice-Affected Waters. Ice Engineering. Number 30, October 2001

• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *PERFORMANCE(ENGINEERING); *ICE; *INFLATABLE STRUCTURES; *DAMS; NYLON; RUBBER; RIVERS; HYDRAULICS; RESERVOIRS; FLOOD CONTROL; HYDRAULIC POWER; ICE PREVENTION; *INFLATABLE DAMS; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA407395; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA407395

Since their first appearance in the mid 195Os, inflatable dams have gained increasing acceptance. There are now more than 2000 of these structures in use worldwide, with an increasing proportion in ice-affected waters. The purpose of this survey is to document the performance of existing inflatable dams in rivers with ice, and outline potential expanded uses in the field of river ice control. Inflatable dam applications include headgates for irrigation, water supply and hydropower, flashboard replacement, raising the crest of an existing dam or reservoir spillway, tidal barriers, sewage treatment lagoons, sediment discharge gates, and groundwater recharging. Although inflatable dams have many advantages in ice-affected waters, none have been built for the specific purpose of ice control. An inflatable dam consists of an air-filled tube clamped to a concrete sill (Fig. I). The tube is made of a laminated rubber and nylon material that ranges in thickness from 10 to 25 mm, depending on the height of the dam. Inflatable dams range in height from about 0.4 to 4.6 m (1.3 to 15 ft) and the individual span lengths range from about 6 to 89 m (20 to 290 ft). The structures are best suited to situations where the width-to-length ratio is relatively high, typically greater than five. The original document contains color images.