Basic Principles of Inspection of Concrete and Masonry Dams

D. Allen Hughes, P.E.

Course Outline

1. Inspecting the Dam
2. Concrete and Masonry Dam Fundamentals
3. Concrete Dam Features
4. Concrete Dam Inspection Techniques
5. Inspecting for Deficiencies
6. Cracking
7. Concrete Deterioration
8. Masonry Deterioration
9. Surface Defects
10. Displacement
11. Leakage and Seepage
12. Maintenance Concerns

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will have learned or been exposed to the following:

• Concrete Dam Characteristics;
• Types of Concrete Dams;
• Masonry Dams;
• Concrete and Masonry Construction;
• Concrete Dam Joints, Interior Features, and Water Conveyance Structures;
• Dam Inspection Techniques;
• Documenting and Reporting;
• Deficiency Sighting Techniques;
• Inspecting Dam Interior;
• Inspecting Upstream and Downstream of Dam;
• Inspecting for Deficiencies;
• Characteristics of Dam Cracks;
• Types of Cracks (Structural, Shrinkage, D-Cracking);
• Crack Surveying;
• Concrete Deterioration;
• Causes of Deterioration;
• Surface Mapping;
• Inspecting for Deterioration;
• Surface Defects;
• Impact Damage;
• Inspecting for Surface Defects;
• Displacement;
• Misalignment;
• Differential Movement;
• Leakage and Seepage;
• Maintenance Concerns;
• Debris and Undesirable Vegetation;
• Previous Repairs; and
• Environmental Conditions.
  

Intended Audience

This course is intended for use by engineers, agencies, planners, and dam contractors.

Benefit to Attendees

Students will gain an understanding from this course of the proper approach to identify and assess dams and dam deficiencies. The course content may also be useful as a guide for finding faults in a concrete or masonry dams and understanding when it is necessary to get further assistance.

Course Introduction

This course is based on the publication, Training Aids for Dam Safety; Inspection of Concrete and Masonry Dams and a supplemental video. The techniques and methodologies described in this course document are intended as a guide in understanding and spotting dam deficiencies.

Course Content

This course is based on the publication, “Inspection of Concrete and Masonry Dams” published by FEMA and a video intended to supplement the workbook..

Basic Principles of Inspection of Concrete and Masonry Dams

Video

http://www.damsafety.com/resources/downloads/?p=92fc7963-aa9e-4f6f-9f02-2b19cdda4422

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

This course demonstrates the basic elements of concrete and masonry dams.  After completing this course, engineers, agencies, planners and dam contractors will have gained the skills necessary to identify defects in concrete and masonry dams and will be prepared to take necessary actions needed to remediate problems. 

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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