Saturday, March 7, 2009

Rubber dam



What is Rubber Dam


Rubber dam is a new type of hydraulic structure compared with steel sluice gate, and made of high-strength fabric adhering with rubber, which forms a rubber bag anchoring on basement floor of dam. Filling water or air into the dam bag, rubber dam is used for water retention. Emptying water or air from the dam bag, it is used for flood release. Rubber dam has many advantages, such as low cost, simple hydraulic structure, short construction time, perfect seismic performance and effect of stopping leading, and low resistance to water flow in flood season.

Rubber dams have been used in China over the past 40 years as cheaper water conservation structures compared to conventional gated structures like barrages especially in small and medium rivers.
Rubber Dams have wide prospect in the world since they can be used especially for irrigation, and for pisciculture, hydropower generation, environmental improvement and recreation purpose. Rubber Dam
s are not known to have other than beneficial impact on environment and ecology.


Advantages of Rubber Dam

  • Saves huge amount of steel, cement, timber and other construction materials. This brings the economy.
  • The dam body can be fully deflated to lower it to flat level on base floor so that flood flow passes without any obstruction.
  • Rubber dams can have spans as long as 100 meters without dividing piers. This provides full width of active cross-section of the river channel to release flood flow.
  • Load of dam body is evenly distributed on foundation. This lessens treatment of foundation soil to only nominal or none.
  • Construction and installation are quicker compared to conventional gated regulating structures.
  • Total investment cost is 30-40% lower than that of conventional gated regulating structures.
  • Rubber dam can adapt to differential settlement of foundation.
  • Low operation and maintenance costs.

Rubber Dam Construction


Constructing rubber dams consists of designing and constructing stages. At the stage of designing, experts and engineers design rubber dams and then at the construction stage, various parts of dams such as: body, concrete structures, equipment and machinery, pipes, anchorage bolts and control system are manufactured.

Material of Rubber Dam


The rubber dam tube is made of strength canvas and rubber layer which ensure tightness of the rubber layers.The rubber layers encompass outer, middle and inner elements for different functions. This kind of rubber is well resistant against sharp objects, pieces of ice, stone and vibrations caused by river overflowing.The outer layer is made of the special rubber material characterized wear, sunlight, heat and ozone-resistance.
The middle layer is used for protection of canvas and for connection of two or more canvas with rubber layers.
The inner layer is used for protection of canvas and characterized watertight and airtight features.ht.