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DAMS

EXPERTISE ACROSS DAM DESIGN AND EXECUTION

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Industry-leading analysis and insight in geotechnical and water-related aspects of earth, rock and embankment dams and dam safety

Dam services include:

  • Site selection
  • Design and construction
  • Dam foundation design and assessment
  • Dam break studies
  • Spillway and outlet design
  • Specialist spillway scour services
  • Geotechnical and hydrologic assessments
  • Embankment design, material selection and specification
  • Construction supervision and risk assessments
  • Analyses including numerical stability, 2D and 3D, seepage, and computational fluid dynamics

Proven track record in temporary and permanent large underground rail, road and mining projects throughout Australia, Africa and Asia, including some of the largest-spanning tunnels in Australia.

CAPABILITIES

EARTH AND ROCK EMBANKMENT DAMS
DAM FOUNDATIONS
TAILINGS DAMS
HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS FOR DAMS
SPILLWAY SCOUR AND EROSION
DAM SEEPAGE

EARTH AND ROCK EMBANKMENT DAMS

PSM provides industry-leading methods of earth and rock embankment dams analysis coupled with over 20 years of practical insight and experience.

Rigorous risk assessment failure modes include:

  • Seepage
  • Piping
  • Overtopping
  • Scour and erosion
  • Slope stability
  • Rapid drawdown
  • Numerical modelling of crack propagation.

DAM FOUNDATIONS

We provide comprehensive analysis of rock mass characteristics and behaviour using Abaqus, FLAC3D, 3DEC, Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM), 2D and 3D finite element modelling of rock.

Services include:

  • Linear and non-linear deformation
  • Discrete or stochastically generated structures
  • Stress history
  • Groundwater pressures
  • Crack propagation
  • Creep and strain softening.

TAILINGS DAMS

We offer review, design, construction, operation and closure of tailings and other industrial dams.

Services include:

  • Site investigation and testing
  • Material selection
  • Storage cut, fill and volume determination
  • Water balance and hydrological design
  • Embankment design to ANCOLD and other guidelines
  • Industrial dams for the storage of special fluids such as caustic soda
  • In-pit and underground storage design
  • Capping design, construction and monitoring
  • Use of liners such as clay or geosynthetics
  • Operations manuals to achieve high strength, low emissions or reduced closure costs.

We have extensive experience with discharge systems, spillways, underdrainage and decant systems.

Our full range of construction services includes:

  • Earthworks specification
  • Specification testing
  • Design monitoring
  • Sedimentation and consolidation testing
  • Construction supervision
  • Certification
  • Reporting to meet regulator requirements.

HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS FOR DAMS

We prepare detailed hydrological and hydraulics studies. We assess:

  • Rainfall and runoff taking account of long-term inflow and seepage or evaporation loss patterns for reservoir sizing or yield analysis
  • Historical or design runoff events for spillway capacity design
  • Risk of dam overtopping
  • Design of intakes, spillways and outlets and specialist hydraulic structures
  • Specialist assessment of scour and erosion.

Depending on the nature and complexity of the problem, we apply first-principle hand calculations as well as more complex numerical analysis (including 3D CFD modelling) or scale physical modelling techniques.

SPILLWAY SCOUR AND EROSION

Our sophisticated scour-prediction tools combine rock mass modelling with hydraulic models to assess spillway erosion.

Setting an industry benchmark, PSM developed these tools from Dr Steven Pells’ 2016 research into erosion (scour) risk in unlined spillways at over 30 large dam spillways.

DAM SEEPAGE

We assess dam stability using seepage analysis of leak discharges through embankments, low velocities and pore pressure.

For steady or transient flows, we use coupled modelling in both 2D and 3D, using Geostudio (Seep/w; Sigma/w; Slope/w); RS2; RS3, FEFLOW and Abaqus software.

Contact

TALK TO OUR EXPERTS IN DAMS AND DAM SAFETY

Our team has extensive capabilities to provide solutions for complex problems. Reach out today to find out how we can help.

CONTACT US

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    Technically Assured Organisation
    Locations

    Sydney

    G3, 56 Delhi Road
    North Ryde NSW 2113

    BRISBANE

    Level 6, 500 Queen St
    Brisbane Qld 4000

    PERTH

    Level 3, 22 Delhi St
    West Perth WA 6005

    MELBOURNE

    Shop 4, Suite 4, 23-31 Gheringhap Street
    Geelong VIC 3220
    Contact us
    Locations

    Sydney

    G3, 56 Delhi Road
    North Ryde NSW 2113

    BRISBANE

    Level 6, 500 Queen St
    Brisbane Qld 4000

    PERTH

    Level 3, 22 Delhi St
    West Perth WA 6005

    MELBOURNE

    Shop 4, Suite 4, 23-31 Gheringhap Street
    Geelong VIC 3220
    Contact us
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