Bhagwan Mahavir Polytechnic

Civil Department

Vinith Pillai

Virat Fumakia

Nisarg Joshi

Maulik Gamit

Ankit Desai

Project Guide : Mr. Vishal Radadiya

RUBBER DAM

What is Rubber Dam?

The Rubber dam is relatively recent technological break-through.

Rubber dams are placed across channel, stream and weir crest to increase the upstream water level when inflated and because of that rubber dams are also called as inflatable dams.

The dams are tubes which are made of rubberized material.

Concrete structure

Rubber dam

Anchoring

Composite joining sheets used in Rubber

Dam.

Construction & Membrane design

An inflatable rubber dam is basically an envelope formed from a fabric

reinforced rubber membrane which is anchored to a concrete foundation.

Membranes are designed and constructed to meet the individual

requirements of each installation.

The correct cross section of construction materials and correct

manufacturing techniques maximizes the reliability and service life of the

rubber dam

This is How Rubber dam looks

like..!

Why Rubber

Dam ?

• Better control of flood and

draught, through watershed due to

automatic inflation and deflation

mechanism.

• Increase per capita storage capacity

and water use efficiency.

• Easy installation.

• Reduction of soil erosion.

• Ground Recharging.

Built up cost

Lower investment, cost about 40% than the

conventional gated regulating structure.

Cost Considerations.

Construction cost is mainly divided into two parts as follows:

Designing of the rubber dam, including dam body and related

operating system.

Manufacturing and installation.

The construction varies with the width of dam.

INFLATION AND DEFLATION

PHENOMENON OF RUBBER DAM

To undertake design &

development of rubber

composites and process for

making rubber dams.

To design and develop

different

components of rubber dam.

To develop and validate rubber

dams.

FIRST INDIGENIZED MODEL RUBBER DAM

PROTOTYPE (MRDP) DEVELOPED AT

IRMRA(Indian Rubber Manufacturers Resource

Association)

Anchorage Design

To form rubber dam the membrane is anchored to the

foundations or weir. Rubber dams are secured to the

concrete foundation using a single or dual row of clamping

plates. These plates are attached to anchor bolts which are

either cast into new foundations or embedded into existing

foundations.

Rubber Dam control systems

The control system depends on the customer’s specific requirements and choice of

either an air filled or water filled rubber dam.

There are various control systems available ranging from simple manual control of

inflation and deflation to advanced control of the upstream water level within a

tight range.

Options for automatic control include :-

(A) Electrical automatic deflation

(B) Mechanical automatic deflation

(C)Bag pressure control

Rubber used in the construction

Natural Rubber, SBR blend is selected as a best cover compound in terms of

physical properties.

Nylon-6 fabric gives better adhesion than Nylon 66 and Polyester fabric.

Weaving pattern & gram per square meter (gsm) of fabric also play

important role for adhesion & strength of composite.

Gsm of the treated fabric is optimized to get specified strength, adhesion

and flexibility of composite material.

Purposes of Rubber Dam

It can be used as a system of flood control.

It can be used for creating recreational lakes without environmental

restrictions.

It can be also used in power generation for small industries.

In case of repairing other dam, it can used for diverting the water, because it

can be quickly installed.

It can be used as water reservoir also in rural area as it is very economical.

Future projects in India.

The First Rubber dam in India will be built across the

Bharatapuzha in Kerala. A contract to this effect has been

signed by the public sector steel industries Kerala

limited(silk). Studies have confirmed that low cost rubber

dams would be suitable for Kerala's river such as

Bharatapuzha and periyar

Conclusion

• Rubber Dam is an innovative technology, which can be used profitably for

various purposes such as :

1) Water Parks

2) Flood Control

3) Diversion for Building main Dam

4) Repairs of Dams

5) Small Power plants

6)Rural water supply

Thank You