The advantages of rubber dams are as follows:
(i) Since rubber is flexible in nature it is capable of performing deflation even in the presence of dirt and sedimentation on the downstream side. However, for rigid steel-gate dams, it may not be possible to open when there is excessive sediment.
(ii) Since the foundation of rubber dams is comparatively lighter than that of steel-gate dams, it saves both construction cost and time.
(iii) Rubber dams can be designed with longer spans without piers while steel-gate dams require intermediate piers for long spans.
This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.
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