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Gravity Dams

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Abstract

Gravity dam may be the earliest water retaining structure in the human history. As early as around 2950–2750 BC, the Egyptians built a masonry gravity dam of 14 m high at the Nile River, called in Arabic “Sadd el-Kafara” meaning “Dam of the Pagans,” which was discovered over 100 years ago in Egypt. The modern gravity dams made of concrete are widely exercised throughout the world and well known for their simplicity in design and facilitation in construction, high reliability at any dam height and in any climatic conditions inclusive of harsh winter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Sheng-Hong Chen

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  1. Sheng-Hong Chen
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Correspondence to Sheng-Hong Chen .

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Chen, SH. (2015). Gravity Dams. In: Hydraulic Structures. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47331-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47331-3_7

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-47330-6

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