Experiment of an inflatable weir with steel gates

Villers – devant – Mouzon

BAW- Symposium Inflatable dams19 June 2008

Timothée CHRETIEN – VNF DIR Nord-EstNicolas PICHON - Cetmef

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19 june 2008 2

Presentation structure

• Experiment’s context ;• Construction spot selection ;• Obermeyer spillway gates ;• Experimental follow-up ;• First results.

19 june 2008 3

Context• An extensive rebuilding program

Aim : improving weirs’ exploitation by:– Providing a high reliability ;– Securing operations ; – reducing the painfulness ;– Guaranteeing a precise water level regulation.

• Explorate innovative technique(s) to:– cut dam building costs;– reduce construction durations.

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 4

The site of Villers devant Mouzon• The dam of Villers devant Mouzon is located on the river

Meuse (North-east of France) ;• The original dam is a needle dam ;

• The site was chosen on an existing dam, where a first experiment of inflatable dam was conducted 20 years ago.

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 5

Obermeyer system

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 6

articulation

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 7

Ductil steel clamp

Anchor bolts

Panel with rib

Rubber hinge flap

Bolts linking gate to hinge

Bladder

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Some pictures...

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 9

Advantages• Anchor

– Efforts (water pressure) are linearly applied to the sill ;– No mechanical parts (without pivot) .

• Modular design– It can be very wide without intermediary piers ;– easy assembly and maintenance;– Transportation.

• Steel gates– Precise regulation of upstream water level ;– Protect the bladders of sediments, debris , UV and vandalism ;– An option allows relative movement of adjacent modules ;– An option allows to have several bladders for a single panel

>>> this option provides a high reliability in case of a bladdershould be out of order.

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 10

Limits

• Several concepts are patented ;• Difficulties to communicate with Obermeyer (type of

contract..) ;• Limited experiment feedback;• Vandalism ?

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 11

The IDSG in Villers devant mouzon

• Dam's height is 2,00m , total width of 17,69m ;• 3 modules each 5.87m wide. Steel gates were made from a

plate 16mm thick. An epoxy coating protects the gates from corrosion ;

• 3 bladders (EPDM, chlorubutyle rubber, natural rubber reinforced with 4 layers of polyester fabric, an external layer of EXX-pro improves resistance to UV abrasion and chemical attacks). Each bladder weights 400 kg. Normal pressure is 1,4 bar ;

• 59 steel bolts connect the bladders to the sill.

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 12

The works in few numbers...

• 2 months : works’ duration ;• 2 days : mounting of IDSG ;• A gate weights 2,5 T ( dam’s heaviest part).

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 13

…some pictures.

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…civil works...

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…assembly

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Experimental follow-upGoals

• Understanding the different aspects of designing and building such dams ;

• Experiencing and analysing their mechanic and hydraulic behaviour ;

• Measuring their regulation capacity for navigation purposes ;

• Studying environmental impacts ;

• Estimating the standardization potential ;

• Analysing their operation and maintenance needs ;

• Evaluating their operation and maintenance costs ;

• Assessing their lifetime.

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 19

Tests on the bladders

• Aim : measure mechanical properties of the bladders ;

• Lab tests– Tension test ;– Creep test ;– Colorimetry ;– Hardness ;– Spectrometry...

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 20

System tests

• Aim : test different simulated failures

• Events planned:– Power cuts ;– Leak in the air supply system ;– Gauge faults ;– …

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 21

Puncture tests

Program planned:

• Test the case of different holes (different diameters) in the bladder ;

• Observe the efficiency of dam ;• Observe the evolution of holes ;• Evaluation ;

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 22

First results

• in situ :faulty construction ?

– Problem of watertightness (between dam and abutments) ;

– tightening torque of bolts linking gate to hinge are heterogeneous ;

– One anchor bolt broke.• In functioning :

– A precise regulation of upstream water level ;– Some difficulties with gauges (water level,

inclinometer) ;– Problem of watertightness ( between the 2 different

modules) ;

• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

19 june 2008 23

First results

Lab Tests:• Context

• The site

• IDSG

• Experimental follow-up

• First results

Vielen Dank fuer IhreAufmerksamkeit!

Voies Navigables de FranceFrench Waterways

www.vnf.fr

Centred'Études TechniquesMaritimes et Fluviales

CETMEF

CETMEFInstitute for Maritime andInland waterways

www.cetmef.equipement.gouv.fr

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