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What are the parts
of a buttress dam?





abutment (*)
axis (*)
buttress (*)
buttress head (*)
crest (*)
cross section (*)
downstream face (*)
foundation (*)
heel (*)
height (*)
plan view (*)
reservoir (*)
span (*)
toe (*)
upstream face (*)
width (*)


The buttress head (*) may be flat, as shown above, or rounded.

Usually, buttress dams are made of concrete and may be reinforced with steel bars. The buttress (*) may be hollow or solid. The buttress of Bartlett Dam (pictured above) are hollow. Bartlett is the highest concrete buttress dam in the U.S., at 287 feet.




Buttress damsForces on a buttress dam