Construction Materials and Dam Foundation While Memve’ele Dam Building in the Craton’s Region of South Cameroon

Abstract

This chapter mainly focuses on engineering geology for dam construction from the Memve’ele region in Cameroon. Here, it deals with geotechnical and geological proprieties of both construction and dam foundation materials. This study is done at the aim to ensure that these materials need to be improved and how they have been used during dam construction. Field investigations, borehole information, density and seismic velocity measurements have been used, and results indicate that soil deposits have slightly clay content, mechanically well for dam construction and display a weak thickness layer particularly on the dam site. These conditions suggest that soil materials can be used as construction (cushion, transition layers, etc.) and foundation materials after few amendments. Ntem Formations appear weathered and fractured sometimes, though their mechanical behaviors display a good character for civil applications. However, engineering processes have been used to improve it by GIN (Grouting Intensity Number) methods. These formations have been used as construction (rip rap crushing aggregate, etc.) and dam foundation materials. Thus, this chapter contributes to highlight materials and dam foundation conditions which are crucial criteria encountered in the dam with emphasis on both theoretical study and practical application during dam construction.