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Timber Dams
Timber dams are temporary in nature and are constructed locally to meet the
requirements of small population. These are frameworks of timber struts and
beams, with timber plank facing to resist the water pressure.
Arch Dam
Arch Dams are constructed in areas where the dams need to be
constructed with narrow width and extremely high height. The dam is curved in
plan and carries at major part of its water load horizontally by arch actions.
Rubber Dams
The concept of flexible dams comes with the invention of inflatable rubber dams.
A rubber dam is built on permanent base flushing with the bed of the river or
stream on which the dam is located.
It is a permanent structure comprising of a sheet of rubber-coated fabric
(rubber body) which is fixed to reinforced concrete foundation using clamp plates
and bolts. The rubber is inflated by pumping air or water inside the rubber body
until the design height or pressure is reached. It is deflated by allowing air or
water to escape.
Central Water Commission (1994) has classified Dam according to storage
capacity and height as shown below :
Size classification (Based on storage and height)
(As cited by George C. Varughese, 2007)
