Gleno's Dam Collapse

Durability is of the utmost importance because dams are one of the few structures built to last almost indefinitely. In Italy the Gleno Dam, a multiple arch dam 43 m high, suddenly failed on 1 December 1923 when one of the buttresses cracked and burst in a matter of a few minutes. The cause was attributed to poor quality workmanship: the concrete in the arches was poor and inadequately reinforced with scrap netting used as hand grenade protection in the war and there was evidence of lack of bond with the foundations.

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