Ain Shams University

Faculty of Engineering
Structural Engineering Dept.
Geotechnical Group
3rd Year Civil

Seepage Analysis

Dr. Sayed Mohamed Elaraby

Table of Contents

Laplace Equation
Graphical Solution (Flow Nets)
Anisotropic Soils
Seepage Force
Check Heave
Check Piping
Filter Design
Earth Dams

Phreatic Line in Earth Dams

Analytical Determination of the Phreatic Line and the
Discharge
Flow Net for Earth Dams

Textbook: Braja M. Das, "Principles of Geotechnical Engineering", 7th Ed.

Laplace (Continuity) Equation

If the soil is isotropic

Solutions to Laplace's Equation

Computer solutions using finite element or
finite difference techniques.
Graphical solutions known as flow nets.

Flow Nets
Flow Lines and Equipotential Lines
A flow line is the path a water particle would follow in moving
from upstream to downstream.
An equipotential line is a line along which the total head is a
constant value.
Rules for Flow Net Construction in Isotropic Soils
Draw the situation to scale.
Establish the equipotential boundary conditions.
Establish the flow boundary conditions.
Flow lines and equipotential lines must always intersect at
right angles.
Fields are the spaces in a flow net formed by the intersecting
flow lines and equipotential lines. The fields should be
"square"

If piezometers were inserted into the ground with their tips on a single
equipotential then the water would rise to the same level in each standpipe

No. of head drops

Datum

nd= 10

Dh= H/nd = H/10

No. of flow channels

nh = 4

0.9H

0.1H

0.8H

0.2H

0.6H 0.4H
0.7H 0.5H 0.3H

No. of head drops

0

nd= 10

Dh= H/nd = H/10

No. of flow channels

nf= 4

DQ

Dq = K i L 1 = K (DH/L) . L = K . DH

Dq = K . H / nd

Q = Dq . nf = K H (nf / nd)

L
L
Flow channel

Shape factor = (nf / nd)

Example
= 6m

= 9m

40m

= 3m

1m

q = K H (nf/nd)

2m

40m
= 10-5 m/sec

q = 10-5 x 6 x (5/9)
= 3.33x 10-5 m3/sec/m
= 2.88 m3/day/m
4.67
4.33
3.67
3.00
2.33
1.67
1.00

ht

-5.00

-4.00

-5.00

Pressure head (u/gw)= total head - position head

4.00
5.00

4.00

9.67

Pressure head (u/gw)

Anistropic Soils

Transformations

10

Seepage force

P1= gw (h+Dh)

L
L

P2= gw h

Net seepage force = (P1-P2) L = gw . Dh . L

Net seepage force per volume = (gw . Dh . L ) / L2

gw . i. Volume

Net seepage force per volume = gw . i

H

0
11

gs . Volume

Check Heave

12

Example

Datum

25

7
20.833

12.5

4.167

16.667 12.5 8.33

gw = 62.4 lb/ft3

nd = 6
Dh = 25/6 = 4.167 ft
iav = [0.5 ( 12.5+7) 0] / 20 = 0.488
FOS = [(112-62.4) / 62.4] / 0.488 = 1.62

13

14

Check Piping
icritical
FOS
iexit

icritical

g'

gw

iexit

Dh

Lexit

Lexit
Lexit
15

Filter design

Uncontrolled seepage accounts for approximately 50% of all

dam failures in USA.
Erosion piping (aka., suffusion / suffosion: fines are washed
away by seepage) may be responsible for up to 30% of all
piping failures.
Filter allows drainage without suffusion.

16

17

Retention criteria:
The size of the voids in the filter material should be small enough to
hold the larger particles of the protected material in place.

D15, F < 4 to 5 D85, s

Permeability criteria:
The filter material should have a high hydraulic conductivity to
prevent buildup of large seepage forces and hydrostatic pressures in
the filters.

Passing (%)

D15, F > 4 to 5 D15, S

A

18

5B
5A

Diameter (mm)

Passing (%)

5B

5A

Diameter (mm)

Additional Filter requirements:

Fines % < 5 %
Maximum grain size = 75 mm
U ifor ity coefficie t 3

19

Phreatic Line in Earth Dams

0.3m
m

Focus

The phreatic line is the groundwater

surface with the pressure head = 0
The total head = the position head
Phreatic line is a flow line

20

21

22

Da Da + a

Da

Da + a

Da
a

23

Casagrade 1st graphical approximation

b < 30

24

Casagrade 2nd graphical approximation

b < 60
(it remains a good approximation to b < 90)

25

b
b

b
26

Analytical Determination of the Phreatic

Line and the Discharge

27

28

Flow Net for Earth Dams

29

Questions ?

30