Factor of Safety for Embankment Dams
Factors of safety is an indicator of reliability for geotechnical structures such as embankment dams and soil slopes. Safety factor accounts for uncertainties of design loads and inaccuracies of input values. It is noteworthy that a higher safety factor does not necessarily lead to a lower probability of failure, as the analysis also depends on the quality of investigations, testing, design and construction. This article is aimed to explain history of the safety factor principle in dam construction.
Current criteria for safety factor
This table show the current standards for determination of safety factor for embankment dams.
Number | Country | code | Requirements |
1 | Australia | “Current Technical Practices for Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Large Dams in Australia” | published by the Australian National Committee on Large Dams in 1969 (ANCOLD, 1969) |
2 | America | USACE Design Manual (USACE, 1970) | have been adopted by many organizations including USBR (1987), Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (1992), BRE (1999), ANCOLD (2012) (for tailings dams) |
3 | America | USACE design manual (USACE, 2003)
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It focuses on two important considerations of uncertainties and consequences of failure or unacceptable performance |
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