RIPRAP REQUIREMENTS FOR OVERFLOW EMBANKMENTS

OVERFLOW EMBANKMENTS WILL BE INTEGRAL PARTS OF NAVIGATION DAMS PRESENTLY BEING DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED ON THE ARKANSAS RIVER. THERE MAY BE A TOTAL OF ABOUT 7 MILES OF THESE OVERFLOW EMBANKMENTS AND AT LEAST SOME OF THE EMBANKMENTS CAN BE EXPECTED TO BE OVERTOPPED YEARLY. WITH THIS FREQUENCY OF USE, IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE EMBANKMENT SECTIONS SHOULD BE SO CONSTRUCTED THAT EXTENSIVE REPAIR OR MAINTENANCE WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED FOLLOWING EACH OVERFLOW. AN ADEQUATE THICKNESS OF PROTECTION STONE WITH SIZES ESTABLISHED ON THE BASIS OF EXPECTED WAVE HEIGHTS AND VELOCITY OF OVERFLOW ON BOTH THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM SLOPES OF THE EMBANKMENTS WAS JUDGED TO OFFER THE MOST SATISFACTORY AND ECONOMICAL OVERFLOW PROTECTION. FILL SLOPES FOR THE EMBANKMENTS ARE BEING DESIGNED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SOILS MECHANICS PRINCIPLES BASED ON THE SHEAR STRENGTHS OF THE FILL AND FOUNDATION SOILS. A SERIES OF MODEL TESTS WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE RIPRAP REQUIREMENTS FOR TYPICAL OVERFLOW EMBANKMENTS. TESTS WERE CONDUCTED IN A SCALE MODEL WHICH REPRODUCED A 40-FT WIDE SECTION AND INCLUDED 90 FT OF APPROACH CHANNEL, THE OVERFLOW EMBANKMENT AND 140 FT OF EXIT CHANNEL. THE MODEL EMBANKMENTS WERE MOLDED IN SAND TO THE DESIRED SHAPE OVER A BRICK CUTOFF WALL WHICH PREVENTED SEEPAGE THROUGH THE EMBANKMENT.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1963/30/30-004.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Murphy, Thomas E
  • Grace Jr, John L
• Publication Date: 1963

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: pp 47-55
• Monograph Title: Culverts and slope protection
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 30
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dams; Embankments; Fills; Foundation soils; Navigation; Overflows; Protection; Riprap; Shear strength; Slopes; Soil mechanics; Specifications; Stone; Thickness
• Uncontrolled Terms: Model tests; Requirement
• Geographic Terms: Arkansas River
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Marine Transportation; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00203924
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 23 1994 12:00AM