Some Uncertainties in Embankment Dam Engineering

In the design and construction of embankment dams, our current capability for precise mathematical analysis and modeling of induced stresses and deformations, or of potential seepage patterns, far exceeds our capability to make judgments of comparable accuracy concerning, for example, the site and geology or how the soil properties may be affected by the weather or by the contractor’s methods. In addition, there is often a lack of adequate communication between the design and the supervision of construction. These uncertainties or doubts about the actual performance of the dam when constructed are discussed in the paper and illustrated by case history examples, with particular reference to the uncertain effects of cold weather, to the use of broadly graded soils (tills) as core and to problems in the placement, and segregation of tills and filter materials.