B. Deck slab or Amburson type buttr

B. Deck slab or Amburson type buttress dams Here the deck structure is a reinforce concrete slab spanning across the buttress. This type is also called the Amburson type after the person who suggested it for the first time for a dam built at Theresa, N.Y. in 1903 but the design is adaptable to high dams as well. The layour problems involve fixation of suitable buttress spacing and the shape of the buttress head for providing support to the slabs.
The typical feature of this type of dam is its articulation or flexibility. It is desirable to allow for free expansion of slab in directions parallel to base line of the dam and along the slope. Longitudinal movement can be arranged by coating the slab support by bituminous mastic. The movement along haunch has to be restricted so that the stabilization effect of load is not lost. Hence keys are provided between the slab and the support.