Lecture 4

Sepaage and flownets

References
Braja M Das, Principal of Geotechnical Engineering,
fourth edition, PWS Publishing Company, 1998,
Boston
Muni Budu, Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 2nd
edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2007, USA
R.F. Craig, Soil Mechanics, (English & terjemahan
Prof.Dr.Ir Budi S Supandji)
Cernica, J.N., Soil Mechanics, John Wiley & Sons,
1995
Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D., An introduction to
Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice Hall, N.J., 1981

Laplace equations
The assumptions :
Darcys law is valid
The soil is homogeneous and saturated
The soil and water are imcompressible
No volume change occurs

Laplace equations of continuity

A

Impermeable soil layer

Flow x direction

Flow z direction

Water incompressible and no vol. change :

Laplace equations of continuity

A

Impermeable soil layer

Darcys law :

Isotrpic soil kx=kz

Simple flow
SF

Flow in Z direction

A1 dan A2 are constant;

For flow through layer 1 :

Simple flow
SF

Flow in Z direction

A1 dan A2 are constant;

For flow through layer 2 :

From condtion 2:

Simple flow

SF

from

and

Flow of layer 1 = flow of layer2

Simple flow

SF

Example
H1 = 300mm, H2 = 500mm, h1=600mm at z=200mm

and h=500mm
Determine h at z=600 mm
Solution
Z=200mm hence

Because z=600mm is located in soil layer 2 hence,

h = 179.9 mm

W.T.

Impervious Soil

)h = hA - hB

W.T.

hA

Water In

Impervious Soil
Datum

hB

q = v . A = k i A = k hA
L

Head Loss or
Head Difference
or Energy Loss
)h =hA - hB
i = Hydraulic Gradient

hA
(q)
Water
out

hB

ZA

ZB
Datum

Stresses due to Flow

Three different scenarios (a) Static (b) Flow-up (c) Flow-down

Stresses due to Flow

Static Situation (No flow)

hw

At X,

z
L
X
soil

v = whw + satz
u = w (hw + z)
v ' = ' z
12

No Seepage

Piezometer

In
Flow

3 ft

W
s

u = 6 x 62.4

u = 14 x 62.4

14 ft

Out
Flow

2 ft

W
s

Buoyancy

4 ft
B
12 ft

8 ft

A
3 ft

3 ft

Datum

Stresses due to Flow

Downward Flow
At X,

v = whw + satz

flow

as for static case

u = w hw + w(L-hL)(z/L)

hL

= w hw + w(z-iz)
= w (hw+z) - wiz

u = w h w

hw

z
L
X
soil

Reduction due to flow

v ' = ' z + wiz

Increase due to flow

u = w (hw+L-hL)

Downward Seepage

Piezometer

3 ft

u = 6 x 62.4 - u

10 ft

u = 17 x 62.4

Out
Flow

In
Flow
2 ft

4 ft
B
12 ft

Seepage Force
8 ft
W
s

W
s

W
s

A
Buoyancy - Seepage Force

3 ft

3 ft

Datum

Stresses due to Flow

Upward Flow
flow

At X,

v = whw + satz

hL

as for static case

u = w hw + w(L+hL)(z/L)
= w hw + w(z+iz)
= w (hw+z) + wiz

u = w hw

hw

z
L
X
soil

Increase due to flow

v ' = ' z - wiz

u = w (hw+L+hL)
16

Reduction due to flow

In
Flow

Piezometer

3 ft

u = 6 x 62.4 + u

17 ft
u = 17 x 62.4

Upward Seepage

D
C

Out
Flow

2 ft

4 ft
B
12 ft
W
s

8 ft

W
s

W
s

Buoyancy + Seepage Force

A
3 ft

3 ft

Datum

Quick Condition in Granular Soils

During upward flow, at X:

v ' = ' z - wiz

'
= wz i
w

flow

hL

hw

Critical hydraulic gradient (ic)

z
L
X

If i > ic, the effective stresses is negative.

soil

i.e., no inter-granular contact & thus failure.

- Quick condition
18

Flow nets
Flownet is a combination of flow lines and equipotensial line
A flow line is a line along which water particle will travel from upstream to
downstream.
An equipotensial line is line along which the potensial head at all points is equal
To construct a flownet
The Equipotensial lines intersect the flow line at right angle
The flow elemens formed aproximate squares

Seepage Terminology
Stream/flow line is simply the path of a water molecule.
From upstream to downstream, total head steadily decreases
along the stream line.

hL
datum
TH = hL

concrete dam

TH = 0

soil
impervious strata

Seepage Terminology
Equipotential line is simply a contour of constant total
head.

hL
datum
TH = hL

concrete dam

TH=0.8 hL
impervious strata

TH = 0

soil

Flownet
A network of selected stream lines and equipotential
lines.

concrete dam

curvilinear
square
90
impervious strata

soil

Principles of the Flow Net

Equipotential Lines

Flow Element

Principles of the Flow Net

)h = head loss = one drop

Piezometer

1
2
3
4
5

Flow Element
Equipotential Lines
Total heads along this
line are the same

Datum

Seepage calculation from flow net

1 Square

From Darcys law v=k i A

and
where

H= head difference between

upstream and down stream
Nd = number of potential drops

Seepage calculation from flow net cont

2 Rectangular

or

Seepage calculation from flow net cont

Flow channels 1&2 have square

elements

Flow channel 3 has elemen

rectangular b/l=0.38

Flow nets in anisotropic soil

4.

To construct the flow net use the following procedures:

1. Adopt vertical scale (z axis) fro drawing the cross section
2. Adopt horisontal scale (x axis) such that horisontal scale =

For anisotropic soil kx kz

kz/kx

3. Plot the vertical section through the permeable layer

parallel to the direction of flow

4. Draw the flow net for the permeable layer on the section
obtained from step 3; with flow line intersecting
equipotential line at right angles and the elements as
approximate squares
The rate of seepage can be calculated :

where H =total head loss,

Nf dan Nd = number of flow channels and potensial
drops

Quantity of Seepage (Q)

Q = khL

Nf
Nd

# of flow channels
.per unit length normal to the plane
# of equipotential drops

head loss from upstream to

downstream

hL
concrete
dam

impervious strata

Heads at a Point X
Total head = hL - # of drops from upstream x h
Elevation head = -z
Pressure head = Total head Elevation head

hL
=
Nd

hL
TH = hL

concrete
dam

datum
TH = 0

z
h

X
impervious strata

Uplift pressure under hydraulic structures

Weir

Uplift force under hydraulic structures

Assuming kx = kz = k

Nd =7 H=21ft

Head loss for each potensial

drop = H/Nd=3

Uplift pressure at a =
(Pressure head at a) x w
[(21+6)-3]x w =24 w

Uplift pressure at b =
[27-(2)(3)] w= 21 w

Uplift pressure at f =
[27-(6)(3)] w = 9 w

Seepage through an earth dam on impervious base

Flow through a homogeniuos earth dam constructed over impervious base

Considering cde
Rate of seepage at the section bf

Filters
Used for:

facilitating drainage

preventing fines from being washed away

Used in:

33

earth dams
retaining walls

Filter Materials:

granular soils

geotextiles

Granular Filter Design

Two major criteria:
(a)

Retention Criteria
- to prevent washing out of fines

Filter grains must not be too coarse

(b)

Permeability Criteria
- to facilitate drainage and thus avoid build-up
of pore pressures

Filter grains must not be too fine

34

granular filter

Granular Filter Design

Retention criteria:
D15, filter < 5 D85,soil
average filter pore size

Permeability criteria:
D15, filter > 4 D15,soil
- after Terzaghi & Peck (1967)

D15, filter < 20 D15, soil

- after US Navy (1971)

D50, filter < 25 D50, soil

GSD Curves for the soil and filter must 35be parallel

Example
From the left figure
Nf =3 Nd = 6
Head loss for each drop = h/Nd = 10/6 =
1.667
Potensial drop at a = 1x 1.667 ft
Water in the piezometer
At a = 15-1.667=13.333 ft above ground surface
(ags)
At b = 15-2x1.667= 11.67 ft ags
At c = 15-5x1.667= 8.67 ft ags
At d = 15-5x1.667= 8.67 ft ags

Impermeable layer

kx= kz =k = 5x 10-3 cm/sec

= 1.64 x 10-4 ft/sec
q = (1.64 x 10-4) x 1.667= 2.73x10-4
ft3/sec/ft