Materials for Embankment Dams

The USSD Committee on Materials for Embankment Dams has prepared this White Paper on Materials for Embankment Dams. The paper provides an outline of important points that need to be recognized and understood when selecting material for use in embankment dams. It covers soil materials; rockfill materials; granular filters and drains; asphalt concrete as a water barrier; concrete facing rockfill dams; geosynthetics; reinforced fill; upstream slope protection; material for watertight cutoffs; and construction issues. For each of these topics, design and construction considerations are presented.