Texas Tech University: Priyantha Jayawickrama, PH.D

Texas Tech University
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
One-Dimensional Seepage
Permeability and Darcys Law
Priyantha Jayawickrama, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
References
Chapters 17, 18 and 19,
Lambe and Whitman, John Wiley
Chapter 17: One-dimensional flow
Chapter 18: Two-dimensional flow
Chapter 19: Soil Permeability and Filter
Requirements
CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering
Permeability and Seepage

Why would geotechnical engineers be
concerned with this topic?
What applications come to mind?
What are the principles governing this
process?
Subsurface Water
Ground Surface
Vadose Zone
(zone of aeration)
capillary fringe
Water Table
(Phreatic Surface)
Zone of Phreatic Water

(zone of saturation)
Artesian Conditions
Non-flowing
well
Artesian pressure
surface
Confined
sandstone
CE 5321-001: Advanced
Soil Engineering
aquifer
Impermeable
shale
5
Seepage Illustration:
Loop 287, Lufkin, TX
Roadbed Excavation in Sandy Soil

k 1 x 10 -4 cm/sec
High Head: Dewatering Required

(grid of French drains)
Antilley Road Bridge, Abilene
Antilley Road Bridge,

Abilene
Seepage location
100.1-ft
92.3-ft
79.9-ft
30-ft
70.0-ft
67.3-ft
61.6-ft
61.4-ft
10
To Estimate Seepage Loss
Seepage through the body of the dam

11

Seepage through the body of the dam and the foundation soil
12

Seepage through the body of the dam and the foundation soil
Anisotropic Soil
13
To Estimate Pore Water

Pressures
14
15
To Estimate Pore Water Pressures
15
16
To Evaluate Quicksand Conditions
16
Other Applications
Dewatering System Design
Dewatering Excavations
17
Other Applications
Drainage System Design
Pavement Drainage
18
Other Applications
Drainage behind Retaining Walls
19
Other Applications
20
Other Applications
21
Other Applications
3
P
H
d
4
22
Other Applications
23
Flow through soil and rock

material
Soil and rock are porous

materials
Fluid flow takes place through

interconnected void spaces
between particles and not
through the particles
themselves
No soil or rock material is

strictly impermeable
24
Question
What causes flow of water
through soil?
Answer:
A difference in TOTAL HEAD

We will focus on Water Movement within
Saturated Soils!
25
Total Head = pressure head +

elevation head
5ft
5ft
soil
No Flow!
26

elevation head
9ft
5ft
soil
Flow from left to right!

27

elevation head
soil
Flow from left to right!

28

elevation head
5ft
7ft
5ft
29
Comments re: Total Head

A difference in total head is required to cause
movement of water through soil.
Total head is measured in units of length;
e.g., feet or meters; not psf, kPa, etc.
Darcys Law, governing fluid flow through a
porous medium, takes this one step further:
30
Total Head
Pressure Head, hp = pressure/w
Elevation Head, he = distance from
datum
Total head = hp + he
Velocity head is negligibly small, e.g.
at flux = 2ft/min, velocity
head=0.00002 ft.
31
How do you estimate flow rate ?
5ft
A
7ft
5ft
B
Flow rate will be controlled by

Difference in total head between Point A & Point B
Distance between Point A & Point B
CE 5321-001: Advanced
Soilof
Engineering
Type
Soil
32
Some Definitions
5ft
A
7ft
5ft
Quantity of Flow, Q
Cu.ft
Flow Rate, q = Q/t
Cu.ft/min
Flux, v = q/A
Cu.ft/min/sq.ft = ft/min
33
Some Definitions
5ft
A
7ft
5ft
Hydraulic Gradient, i
(no units)
H A H B h

i
LAB L
34
Darcys Law
vk i
q (Q / t )
v
A
A
h
i
k = coefficient of permeability
i = hydraulic gradient (i < 5, laminar flow)
35
Darcys Law; Applications
12ft
57ft
Elev. 30 ft
Very low
permeable
soil
Elev. 0 ft
Confined Aquifer
36
Coefficient of Permeability
k = coefficient of
permeability, or
hydraulic conductivity
k depends on the pore
size in the soil
37
Some typical k - values
uniform coarse sand ..

clean sand & gravel..
silty sand .
sandy clay ..
Compacted clay ..
k = 4 x 10 -1 cm/sec
k = 1 x 10 -2 cm/sec
k = 1 x 10 -4 cm/sec
k = 5 x 10 -6 cm/sec
k = 1 x 10 -7 cm/sec
38
Order of Magnitude of
k - values
Uniform coarse sand is 1000 times more
permeable than silty sand
Silty sand is 1000 times more permeable than
Compacted clay
Coarse Sand . Drainage Layers
Compacted Clay . Liner Material for Ponds
39
Empirical relationships to
estimate permeability, k
k 10D10
k 3.5D15
40
Grain Size Distribution Curves
41
Head Distribution
Below Ground Water Table
42
Head Distribution
Above Ground Water Table
43
Calculation of Pressure Head in

Seepage Conditions
44

Seepage Conditions
45

Seepage Conditions
46

Seepage Conditions
47
Calculation of Effective Stress under

Seepage Conditions
Oil Refinery Site, Kawasaki, Japan
Previously, for static ground water conditions

(Chapter 16, Lambe and Whitman)
Now modified for steady seepage conditions
See Handout
48
+4
-11
-21
-36
-51
49
Calculation of Effective Stress under

Seepage Conditions
50
Calculating Seepage Force
51
Calculating Seepage Force
The difference
represents the energy
lost due to seepage
This is what you would

have had under static
water conditions
This is what you have

when upward seepage
is occurring
52
Calculating Seepage Force, iw
53
Force Equilibrium
Consider:
Boundary water forces + Total weights
OR seepage forces + submerged
weights
Seepage force/volume = iw
54
Evaluating Quick Conditions
55
Evaluating Quick Sand Conditions

v a w b t qs h w
When a 0 and qs 0 :
v b t (b h) w
v b( t w ) h w
For quick conditions : i ic and v 0
( t w ) sub
h
0 b( t w ) h w and therefore , ic

w
w
b c
56
FOS against Quick Sand

Conditions
( t w ) sub
h
ic

w
w
b c
Factor of Safety against quicksand conditions, F
ic
iactual
57

Texas Tech University: Priyantha Jayawickrama, PH.D

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Texas Tech University

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Priyantha Jayawickrama, Ph.D.

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Permeability and Seepage

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Zone of Phreatic Water

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Roadbed Excavation in Sandy Soil

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

High Head: Dewatering Required

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Antilley Road Bridge, Abilene

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Antilley Road Bridge,

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

To Estimate Seepage Loss

Seepage through the body of the dam

To Estimate Seepage Loss

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

To Estimate Seepage Loss

To Estimate Pore Water

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

To Estimate Pore Water Pressures

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

To Evaluate Quicksand Conditions

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Dewatering System Design

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Drainage behind Retaining Walls

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Flow through soil and rock

Soil and rock are porous

Fluid flow takes place through

No soil or rock material is

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

A difference in TOTAL HEAD

Total Head = pressure head +

Total Head = pressure head +

Flow from left to right!

Total Head = pressure head +

Flow from left to right!

Total Head = pressure head +

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Comments re: Total Head

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

How do you estimate flow rate ?

Flow rate will be controlled by

Flow Rate, q = Q/t

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Darcys Law; Applications

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Some typical k - values

uniform coarse sand ..

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering

Grain Size Distribution Curves

CE 5321-001: Advanced Soil Engineering