Material Properties

Failed Concrete Cylinder

As a result of the large costs associated with constructing and maintaining a dam, dams often have long design lives upwards of 100 years (the average age of dams in the United States is 60 years old).^[1] Additionally, many components of a dam are completely inundated for a large portion of their design lives and are often difficult or even impossible to inspect and/or replace while the dam is in operation. As a result, the materials used to construct the dam must be able to maintain their strength and resist degradation through weathering and corrosion. Additionally, the high risks associated with a failure of many high-hazard potential dams result in the need for thorough testing, analysis, and quality control of both production and installation of the proposed materials, which are all essential to the safety and longevity of the dam as a whole structure. Materials used in the construction of dams include "earth, rock, tailings from mining or milling, concrete, masonry, steel, timber, miscellaneous materials (such as plastic or rubber) and any combination of these materials."^[2]