SOIL MECHANICS

Flow Nets
 FLOW LINE
• A line along which a water particle will travel
from upstream to the down stream side in the
permeable soil medium.

EQUIPOTENTIAL LINE
• A line along which the potential head at all
points is equal.
FLOW NET
• A combination of a number of flow lines and
equipotential lines.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FLOW NETS:

1. The equipotential lines intersect the flow lines at right

angles.
2. The flow elements formed are approximate squares.
 SEEPAGE CALCULATION from FLOW
NET
forisotrophic soils :
HN f for non  isotrophic soils :
qk
Nd K x K z HN f
q
Nd
when K x  K z
K  KxKz
 Problem 1
• The sheet pile is driven in
the Cebu South reclamation
area and the area to one
side is pumped down as
shown in the flow net. The
permeability of the is 0.001
m/sec. Below elevation 20
m. is an impermeable rock
layer. Determine the flow
per unit length and the
pressure at point A at
elevation 22 m.
 Problem 2
• Two sheet piles are driven to
support a sewer excavation
in a medium sand having a
void ratio of 0.5 and a
specific gravity of 2.60. The
interior of the excavation is
dewatered to the bottom
elevation of 118 m. If the
permeability of the sand
k=0.001 m/sec., calculate
the total in flow of water
into the foundation for a 30
meter length o excavation.
 Problem 3
• From the given base of
the weir shown and
the given equipotential
lines, compute the
following:
(a) The uplift pressure at
A
(b) The uplift pressure at
B
(c) The uplift force per
unit length measured
along the axis of the
weir.
 Problem 4
• The figure shows a weir, the base of which is 6
meter below the ground. The necessary flow
net has also been drawn assuming
Kx=Kz=K=0.005 m/sec.
(a) Compute the rate of seepage through the
foundation in liters/sec.
(b) Compute the uplift pressure at “f”.
(c) Compute the uplift force per unit length
measured along the axis of the weir.
 Problem 5
• From the figure shown, Kx=0.3 m/day
(horizontal direction), Kz=0.4 m/day (vertical
direction)
(a) Compute the uplift pressure at C.
(b) Compute the uplift force per unit length
along the axis of the weir.
(c) Compute the seepage through the
foundation.