Why is the Hoover Dam curved?

Well, I'm no civil or structural engineer, but my first guess is that a curved dam, with the curve against the pressure of the water, is probably one of the best ways to construct a dam. Actually, the Hoover Dam is certainly not the only dam that is curved. read more

An arch dam is constructed in such a way that it resists the water pressure by its curved shape. The load is transferred to the sides of the dam by the arch shape similar to old roman bridges. Thus having only an inverted arch shape of thin wall if viewed from the top. read more

Hoover Dam fulfilled the goal of disseminating the one-wild Colorado River through the parched Southwest landscape, fueling the development of such major cities as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Capable of irrigating 2 million acres, its 17 turbines generate enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes. read more

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. read more