SoilMechanicsI

CE 222
CE222
Waterinsoil:Seepageandflownets

Tetondamfailuresequence

Newly completed Teton Dam as it appeared in mid May 1976, as the reservoir was
filling at the rate of 3 feet per day. The rate of filling is usually limited to no more
than 1 foot per day. This view is looking towards right abutment.

MidMay1976
NewlycompletedTetonDam

Tetondamfailuresequence

Leakagewasinitiallynotedaround7:00AMonSaturdayJune5,1976.Thisviewshows
adozerbeingsentdowntofillintheholeatelevation5200around10:45AM

June5,1976
,
10:45am

Tetondamfailuresequence
Thedozerislostintheexpandinghole,around11:20AMonJune5th.Note
turbidnatureofoutflowalongtheabutment.

June5,1976
,
11:20am

Tetondamfailuresequence

Rapidlydeterioratingsituationasitappearedaround11:30AM.Amassiveholehas
developedinthedownstreamfaceoftheembankmentandismigratingupward.

JJune5,1976
5 1976
11:30am

Tetondamfailuresequence

Theholecontinuestoenlargeandrisetowardthecrestoftherightabutment.This
isabout11:50AM.

June5,1976
11:50am

Tetondamfailuresequence
Damcrestbeginningtobreachat11:55AMonSaturdayJune5,1976.Note
increasingdischarge.

June5,1976
11:55am

Tetondamfailuresequence
Maximumflooddischargeemanatingfromgapindamsrightabutment,justafternoonon
June5th,1976.

June5,1976
,
Afternoon

PresentdayTetondamsite

Seepage
p g Terminology
gy
Stream line is simply the path of a water molecule.
p
to downstream,, total head steadily
y decreases
From upstream
along the stream line.
hL
datum
TH = hL

concrete dam

TH = 0

soil
impervious strata

Equipotential line is simply a contour of constant

total head.

hL
datum
TH = hL

concrete dam

TH=0 8 hL
TH=0.8
impervious strata

TH = 0

soil

Flownet
A network of selected stream lines and equipotential
lines.
lines

concrete dam

curvilinear
square
90
90
impervious strata

soil

Quantity of Seepage (Q)

# of flow channels
Nf
.per unit length normal to the plane
Q = khL
Nd
# 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

X
impervious strata

Flownet

15

AFlowNetconsistsoftwogroupsofcurves:
Equipotentiallines:Equipotentiallinesarelinesthatpassthroughpoints
ofequalhead.
f
lh d
Flowlines:Flowlines(akastreamlines)representthepaththataparticle
of water takes as it travels through the soil mass
ofwatertakesasittravelsthroughthesoilmass.

Laplaces
2h 2h
+ 2 = 0 Equationof
2
x
z
Continuity
Equipotential lines
Equipotentiallines

Flowlines

Flownet Equipotentiallines
Thespacebetweentwoadjacentequipotentiallines
representsadropinhead.
Thespacebetweentwoadjacentequipotentiallinesiscalled
anequipotentialspace.

16

Flownet Flowlines

17

Thespacebetweentwoadjacentflowlinesiscalledaflow
Th
b t
t
dj
t fl
li
i
ll d fl
path

Flowlines

Flownet

18

Anequipotentiallinemeanspotentialheadatallpointsisequal(i.e.
totalheadisconstant).
Waterinapiezometer(placedatdifferentpointsalongan
equipotentialline)willrisetothesameelevation.
h
h

Flownet

19

Impoundedwater

Anequipotentialline
meanspotentialhead
atallpointsisequal
(i.e.totalheadis
constant).
Waterinapiezometer
p
(placedatdifferent
pointsalongan
equipotentialline)will
q p
)
risetothesame
elevation.

Tailwater

Flownet

20

Acombinationofflowlines&equipotentiallinesiscalledflownet

Impounded water
Impoundedwater

Tailwater

Flownetunderadam
Impounded
Impounded
water

21

Tailwater

Flownetunderadamwithtoefilter

22

Flownetunderadamwithsheetpile

23

Seepageandflownetthroughdam

24

10 m

20 m

10 m

25
Head: 10 m

SeepageanalysisusingSEEP/W
10 m
Kx = 1.0 e -005 m/sec
k = kky
kx
Head: 1 m
30

21

29

22

23

25

26

27

20 m

24

3.3377e-005

28

40 m

10 m

20 m

10 m

26
Head: 10 m

SeepageanalysisusingSEEP/W
10 m
Kx = 1.0 e -005 m /sec
Kx = Ky
Head: 1 m
30

21

29

2.4766e-005

22

28

20 m

27

23

26

24

25

40 m

Sampleflownets

27

Sampleflownets

28

Sampleflownets

29

Constructionofflownets

30

Equipotentiallinesintersectflowlinesatrightangles(thereis
noflowalonganequipotentialline,therefore,alloftheflow
must be at 90 toit)
mustbeat90
to it)
Justlikecontourlines,flowlinescannotcrossotherflowlines&
equipotential lines cannot cross other equipotential lines
equipotentiallinescannotcrossotherequipotentiallines.
Theflowelementsforman
approximate curvilinear
approximate
curvilinearsquare
square.
Althoughthesidesmaycurve,a
curvilinearsquareisasbroadasitis
long,sothatacircleinscribedinit
touchesallfoursides.
H
Hence,eachequipotentialspacemust
h
i
i l
representanequaldropinhead.

Constructionofflownets
Theupstreamand
downstreamsurfaces
of the permeable
ofthepermeable
layer(linesab andde)
areequipotential
lines.
Sinceab &de are
equipotentiallines,all
theflowlines
intersect them at
intersectthemat
rightangles.

31

Constructionofflownets
Theboundaryofthe
imperviouslayer(line
fg andlineacd)are
and line acd) are
flowlines,
Sincefg
f &acd
d are
flowlines,allthe
equipotentiallines
q p
intersectthemat
rightangles.

32

Seepagecalculationfromflownet

33

Inanyflownet,thestripbetweenanytwoadjacentflowlinesis
calledflowchannel.
Since there is no flow across the flow lines
Sincethereisnoflowacrosstheflowlines,
q1 =q2 =q3 =q

Seepagecalculationfromflownet

34

h1 h2
h2 h3
FromDarcyslaw q = kiA = k
(l1 1) = k
(l2 1) = L
l1
l2
Ifflowelementsareapprox.squares,the
dropinpiezometriclevelbetweenanytwo
adjacent equipotential lines is same This is
adjacentequipotentiallinesissame.Thisis
calledequipotentialdrop.

Seepagecalculationfromflownet
Ifflowelementsareapprox.squares,thedropinpiezometriclevel
betweenanytwoadjacentequipotentiallinesissame.Thisis
called equipotential drop.
calledequipotentialdrop.
H
h1 h2 = h2 h3 = h3 h4 = L =
Nd

H
q = k
Nd

whereH=head
differencebetween
upstream and
upstreamand
downstreamsides
Nd =numberof
potentialdrops

35

Seepagecalculationfromflownet
IfnumberofflowchannelsinaflownetisequaltoNf,thetotal
flowratethroughallthechannelsperunitlengthcanbegivenby

H
q=k
Nf
Nd

36

Example

37

Aflownetforflowaroundasinglerowofsheetpilesinapermeablesoil
layerisshown.Giventhatkx =kz =k=4.2 106 cm/sec,determine
1) Howhigh(abovethe
groundsurface)the
waterwillriseif
piezometersareplaced
atpointsa,b,c,andd.
2) Therateofseepage
h
f
throughflowchannelII
perunitlength
(perpendiculartothe
sectionshown.

Flownetsinanisotropicsoil

38

2h
2h
kx 2 + kz 2 = 0
x
z
Foranisotropicsoils,kx kz.Inthiscase,theequationrepresentstwo
familiesofcurvesthatdonotmeetat90o.However,wecanrewrite

2h
2h
+ 2 =0
2
(k z k x )x z
Substituting x =

kz kx x
2h 2h
+ 2 =0
2
x z

Flownetsinanisotropicsoil
2h 2h
+ 2 =0
2
x z

39

H
q = kxkz
Nf
Nd

Toconstructtheflownet,usethefollowingprocedure:
1 Adoptavert.scalefordrawingthecrosssection.
1.
Adopt a vert scale for drawing the cross section

= kz kx
2. Adoptahoriz.scalesuchthathoriz.scalevert.scale.
3. Withscalesadoptedinsteps1&2,plottheverticalsection
throughpermeablelayerparalleltothedirectionofflow.
4. Drawtheflownetforpermeablelayeronthesectionobtained
fromstep3,withflowlinesintersectingequipotentiallinesat
rightanglesandelementsasapprox.squares.

40

Transformed
section

Truesection

Upliftpressure

41

Upliftpressureunderdam
120
Withoutcutoff

YGradient

100

Withcutoff

80
60
40
20
0
0

10

15

Distance(m)

20

25

Seepagethroughanearthdam

42

onanimperviousbase

Dupuit 1863
Casagrande (1932)

Seepagethroughanearthdam

onanimperviousbase
Astepbystepproceduretoobtaintheseepagerateq(perunit
lengthofthedam)isasfollows:
1. Obtain.
2. Calculate (see
(
figurebelow)and
then0.3 .
3. Calculated.
4. Withknownvalues
of andd,calculate
L.
5. Withknownvalues
ofL,calculateq.

q = kL sin 2

43

Stageddewateringthroughwellpoints

44

Illustrations of
flow nets

Trench supported by sheet piles

5m

6m

6m

6m

Uniform sand

Impermeable clay

Trench supported by sheet piles

5m

6m

6m

6m

Uniform sand

Impermeable clay

Trench supported by sheet piles

5m

6m

h=6m
Nh=10
Nf=2.5+2.5

6m

6m

Uniform sand

Impermeable clay

Excavation supported by a sheet pile

Steel sheet
Water pumped away

Uniform sand

Shale

Excavation supported by a sheet pile

Steel sheet
Water pumped away

Uniform sand

Shale

Reduced sheet penetration; possible

liquefaction v = 0
Steel sheet

Uniform sand

Shale

Reduced sheet penetration; possible

liquefaction v = 0
Reservoir

Tail water

U if
Uniform
sand
d

Shale

Concrete dam or weir

Reservoir

Tail water

U if
Uniform
sand
d

Shale

Concrete dam with cut-off; reduces uplift

pressure

Reservoir

U if
Uniform
sand
d

Shale

Concrete dam with cut-off; reduces uplift

pressure

Reservoir

U if
Uniform
sand
d

Shale

Pumped well in confined aquifer

Elevation
Aquifer heads

pumped well

Observation well

Plan

Radial
flow

aquifer
Impermeable stratum

Pumped well in confined aquifer

Elevation
Aquifer heads

pumped well

Observation well

Plan

Radial
flow

aquifer
Impermeable stratum

Clay dam, no air entry

atmospheric line
reservoir
drain
clay

Shale

Clay dam, no air entry

atmospheric line
reservoir
drain
clay

Shale

Clay dam, no air entry

Observation well

atmospheric line
reservoir
drain
clay

Shale

Clay dam, no air entry, reduced drain;

seepage out of downstream face

atmospheric line
Not possible
reservoir

clay

Shale

Clay dam, with air entry

reservoir
drain
clay

Shale

Clay dam, with air entry

reservoir
drain
clay

Shale

Clay dam, no capillary, reduced drain;

seepage out of downstream face

reservoir

clay

Shale

Clay dam, no capillary, reduced drain;

seepage out of downstream face

reservoir

clay

Shale