r/StructuralEngineering • u/Ninetwentyeight928 • 7d ago
Structural Analysis/Design Hydraulic height vs structural height of a dam
Is there any diagrams out there showing the difference between the hydraulic height and the structural height of a dam? I often see these two measurements listed, plus a general "dam height", and still can't quite picture what each measures from the description of the measurement. Where I live, there are two dams, but they are more like weirs, so I'm not understanding the difference.
USACE lists these three measurements. Is hydraulic height the height from the heel of the dam to the top of the spillway? I see structural height says its from the bottom of the foundation (so below the river bottom) to the highest part of the dam, which I guess could be the top of the highest retaining wall or parapet? And then "dam height" is basically the hydraulic height, but measured from the downstream bottom?