What Are the Future Development Trends of Air-Cushioned Shield Dams?

What is the future development trend of pneumatic shield dams? Judging from the construction of river-retaining sluices in current hydraulic and hydropower projects, as a highly suitable hydraulic structure, the development prospect of pneumatic shield dams can be summarized in one article.

There are three reasons for this view. First, after years of technological accumulation, domestically-manufactured pneumatic shield dams have achieved increasingly mature manufacturing and installation construction technologies. Second, pneumatic shield dams feature strong adaptability and extensive application scope. Third comes the advancement of information technology and intelligentized network control system technologies.

These three factors play an especially vital role in the development of pneumatic shield dams. As a type of low-head water retaining structure, pneumatic shield dams feature a simple structure and flexible, easy operation. They inflate to retain water during normal service and collapse flat to allow water passage for flood discharge without blocking water flow or hindering flood routing. They can be constructed on irrigation canals as well as major rivers, in mountain watercourses and urban plain areas, and are adaptable to rivers with poor geological conditions or high sediment concentration. Therefore, pneumatic shield dams boast outstanding adaptability as low-head retaining structures. Meanwhile, their construction cost remains relatively low. Thanks to their strong adaptability, convenient construction and cost advantages, they have gained widespread application.

A pneumatic shield dam is a lightweight thin-shell flexible water retaining structure for low-head projects with simple configuration, easy construction and economical investment. Multiple pneumatic shield dams with high dam bladders and large spans have been completed successively across the globe. Such dams deliver remarkable benefits to the ecological environment and have made substantial contributions to China’s agricultural, economic and social progress.