Rubber dam is a new type of hydraulic structure compared with steel sluice gate, and made of high-strength fabric adhering with rubber, which forms a rubber bag anchoring on basement floor of dam. Filling water or air into the dam bag, rubber dam is used for water retention. Emptying water or air from the dam bag, it is used for flood release. Rubber dam has many advantages compared to conventional weirs, such as low cost, simple hydraulic structure, short construction time, perfect seismic performance and effect of stopping leading, and low resistance to water flow in flood season. Both water-filled and air filled Rubber Dam can be constructed for water heads of 50 cm to more than 6 meters.
Advantages of rubber dam
Save huge amount of steel, cement, timber and other construction materials. This brings the economy.
The dam body can be fully deflated to lower it to flat level on base floor so that flood flow passes without any obstruction.
Rubber dams can have spans as long as 100 meters without dividing piers. This provides full width of active cross-section of the river channel to release flood flow.
Load of dam body is evenly distributed on foundation. This lessens treatment of foundation soil to only nominal or none.
Total investment cost is 30-40% lower than that of conventional gated regulating structures.
Rubber dam can adapt to differential settlement of foundation.
Low operation and maintenance costs