|
  Buttress
dams are made from concrete
or masonry.
They have a watertight upstream
side supported by triangular shaped walls, called buttresses.
The buttresses are spaced at intervals on the downstream
side. They resist the force of the reservoir
water trying to push the dam over.
The buttress dam was developed from the idea of the gravity
dam, except that it uses a lot less material due to
the clear spaces between the buttresses. Like gravity dams,
they are suited to both narrow and wide valleys, and they
must be constructed on sound rock.
Since 1945, 14 buttress dams have been
constructed in the UK, mainly for hydroelectric schemes in
Scotland.
|
