Question

Greater is the wall curvature in an arch dam, greater will be the economy in the dam thickness.

(a) True

(b) False

This question was addressed to me in an international level competition.

The question is from Arch Dams topic in division Arch and Buttress Dams of Irrigation Engineering

Answer 1

The correct answer is (a) True

Best explanation: The curved wall will structurally behave as a cantilever retaining wall standing up from its base and partly the load will be transferred to the two ends of the arch span. The load on the cantilever wall reduces as it is distributed to the side walls which in turn reduces the thickness.