the major portion of the water load to the abutments or valley sides
rather than to the floor of the valley. A relatively simple arch, i.e.
with horizontal curvature only and a constant upstream radius, is
shown in Fig. 1.4(d). It is structurally more efficient than the gravity
or buttress dam, greatly reducing the volume of concrete required. A
particular derivative of the simple arch dam is the cupola or double-
curvature arch dam (Fig. 1.4(e)). The cupola dam introduces complex
curvatures in the vertical as well as the horizontal plane. It is the
most sophisticated of concrete dams, being essentially a dome or
shell structure, and is extremely economical in concrete. Abutment
stability is critical to the structural integrity and safety of both the
cupola and the simple arch.CONCRETE DAM TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS 17
Fig. 1.4 Principal variants of concrete dams (values of mandnindicative
only; in (e) RHandRVgenerally vary over dam faces)