Reinforced Dikes and Embankment Dams

Abstract Only - The Huntington District of the Corps of Engineers has used steel mesh to reinforce a 25-foot-high dike founded on peat over clay at Mohicanville Dam in Ohio. Without the steel mesh, it would have been impossible to construct the dike to its required height. Although the steel will corrode with time and its strength will be diminished, the foundation soils will gain strength through con­solidation and, in time, the steel will no longer be needed for em­bankment stability.
The Bureau of Reclamation is designing an embankment dam at Davis Creek, Nebraska, that will have a 1:1 reinforced down­stream slope in the upper 25 feet. This slope will be reinforced with a high-strength polymer geogrid (Tensar SR-2). The polymeric material is chemically inert and was selected because of its expected long life. The design will permit flattening the slope should unfore­seen problems develop with the innovative technology.