A Method To Calculate Hydrodynamic Loads On Underground Bulkheads

A Method to Calculate Hydrodynamic Loads on Underground Bulkheads Bulkheads are structures built in openings in underground mines to impound water, preventing the water from entering the active mine workings. These structures not only have to be designed to withstand the static, hydraulic pressure, but also the dynamic or seismic pressure, which would be generated by an earthquake. Bulkheads can be considered underground dams. Unlike dams on the surface, bulkheads are often subjected to hydraulic heads that exceed the heights of the bulkheads. Theodor von Karman in 1933, and Westergaard earlier, developed the equation by which the hydrodynamic pressures on surface dams could be calculated. Civil engineering handbooks of today contain this equation. In this paper, using the methodology developed by von Karman and Westergaard, the authors have developed an equation by which the hydrodynamic forces on bulkheads could be calculated when the hydraulic head exceeds the height of the bulkhead.