The Probert Encyclopaedia of General Information

DAM

A dam is a bank or construction of stone, earth, or wood etc across a stream or river for the purpose of keeping back the current to give it increased head, for holding back supplies of water, for flooding lands, for rendering the stream above the dam navigable by increased depth, and for generating electricity. Its material and construction will depend on its situation and the amount of pressure it has to bear. For streams which are broad and deep strong materials are required, usually stone masonry bound in hydraulic cement and a strong framework of metal or timber. The common forms of a dam are either a straight line crossing the stream transversely, or one or two straight lines traversing it diagonally, or an arc with its convex side towards the current.
Research Dam