Design of large dams in the USSR

Abstract

Progress in the construction of safe, durable, and economical large dams is governed primarily by refinements in design solutions, which involve accumulated experience, scientific achievements, and the opportunities made available by new technological measures. This article traces the development of various dmn designs in the Soviet Union and discusses the prospects of their further improvement.The historical development of the water resources of major rivers in the USSR associated with the construction of large dams [i, 2] can be divided into two stages: the first stage is represented by the prewar years and some 15 postwar years, and was conditioned by the necessity to solve problems in the utilization of rivers for power generation and, simultaneously, for navigation. This was the cascades of low-head and medium-head hydropower schemes on the Svir, Volga, Kama, Dnepr, and Western Dvina rivers and individual hydropower schemes on the Angara, Oh, Don, and other rivers. The second stage, comprising approximately the last 25 years, is distinguished by the construction of hlgh-head hydropower schemes on the rivers of Siberia and the Caucasus, aimed at utilizing water power, and on the Central Asia rivers, aimed at utilizing the water for both power generation and irrigation.The features of the natural construction conditions for the majority of the first-stage hydropower schemes were: wide floodplain dam sites; large flood discharges; and foundations devoid of rock, ranging from clays to fine-grained sands.