Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alexandria University
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
a,*
Irrigation and Hydraulic Dep., Faculty of Eng., Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
Civil Eng. Dep., Faculty of Eng., Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
KEYWORDS
Seepage;
Earth dams;
Core;
Filter;
Phreatic surface
Abstract Based on the experimental work previously presented for earth dam with internal core
and done by Rezk [4], it is suggested to develop an analytical solution for the same problem and
comparisons between two solutions are presented. Effect of relative permeability of core (kc/kd)
on each relative seepage discharge (Q1/Q) and relative drop of phreatic surface (d/h1) due to core
is investigated. Phreatic surface is drawn according to both experimental work and the analytical
solution given by the authors.
2011 Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Earth dam with an internal core has main advantage in minimizing the total base width of the dam. The problem of seepage
through an earth dam with an internal core and based on an
impervious base was studied experimentally by Rezk [4]. Many
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: rezk@alexandria.cc (M.A. El-Razek M. Rezk),
Senoon2000@yahoo.com (A. El-Aziz Ahmed Ali Senoon).
1110-0168 2011 Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University.
Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Peer review under responsibility of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria
University.
doi:10.1016/j.aej.2010.10.001
112
Nomenclature
vertical coordinate of drop in phreatic surface
before lter
crest width of the dam
dam width at base till lter start
drop in free surface due to core
free board
the retained upstream water head
permeability coefcient of core
permeability coefcient of dam
horizontal seepage length before the core
core width
distance from core end to beginning the lter start
total horizontal seepage length
ao
b
B
D
F
h1
kc
kd
l
lc
lf
L
The quantity of seepage discharge through dam with an internal core, Fig. 2, was expressed by Rozanov [10] as follows:
Q 1 kd h
m1
m2
Q
Q1
T
y1
y2
a
H2
i
2L 1 kkdc dLc
The present theoretical study is mainly based on the experimental work given by Rezk [4] (see Fig. 3). Comparison is also
made between the present work and that given by Rozanov
[9,10]. Phreatic surface established from the theoretical study
is compared with that given experimentally by Rezk [4].
3. Assumptions
2. Case study
Fig. 4 shows a denition sketch for an earth dam with an internal core built up on an impervious horizontal base, which is
c
c
q1
1
1
m
H
KC
Kd
Kd
q2
h1
S1
S1
Figure 1
KC
T
Kd
Kd
H
h1
XX
c
Figure 2
113
KC
T
Kd
Kd
H
h1
B-L
B
Figure 3
Figure 4
3. Pavlovskys solution is used to nd the passing seepage discharge value through the three zones of the dam.
4. The relative value of the core permeability is taken in the
range of 0.10.8.
0.8
0.7
0.6
h4/h1
0.5
0.4
h4
Kc
= 0.7969
h1
Kd
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
kd 2
Q1
Pavlovsky 9
h a2o
2lf 4
0.4347
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
kc/kd
Figure 5
kd
2h1 y1 y21
2l
Pavlovsky 9
kc
h1 y1 2 h1 y1 y2 2 Pavlovsky 9
2lc
114
1.2
1
d h1 y1 y2 h4
Q1/Q
0.8
5. Solved example
L/B = 0.47
0.6
L/B = 0.39
L/B = 0.33
0.4
Given: h1 = 12 m, b = 4 m, m1 = 2, m2 = 1, lc = 2 m,
lf = 15 m, kc/kd = 0.1, f = 1 m (see Fig. 6)
L/B = 0.28
L/B = 0.25
0.2
Solution:
0
0
0:4347
h4
kc
0:7969
h1
kd
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
kc/kd
h4 3:51 m
kd 2
Q 1 kd a o
h a2o
2lf 4
1
ao
3:52 a2o
30
a2o 30ao 12:32 0:0
ao 0:41
Q1 0:41kd
kd
Q1
2h1 y1 y21 0:41kd
2l
y21 24y1 3:28 0:0; y1 0:14; h2 11:86 m
kc
Q1
h1 y1 2 h1 y1 y2 2 0:41kd
2lc
y22 23:72y2 16:4 0:0; y2 0:70
h3 h2 y2 11:87 0:7 11:16 m
drop d h3 h4 11:16 3:51 7:65 m
0.7
0.6
L/B = 0.47
0.5
L/B = 0.39
L/B = 0.33
d/h1
0.4
L/B = 0.28
L/B = 0.25
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
0.2
0.4
4m
2m
1m
0.14 m
0.7 m
2
1=
m2
=1
7.65 m
3.51 m
ao
h2 = 11.86 m,
y1 = 0.14 m,
Figure 6
h1= 12 m,
ao= 0.41 m,
0.8
6. Discussion of results
12 m
0.6
kc/kd
h3 = 11.16 m,
y2 = 0.7 m,
h4 = 3.51 m
d = 7.65 m
115
1.2
1
Q1/Q
0.8
0.6
Roz(10)
0.4
Roz(9)
Rezk(4)
0.2
Present Work
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
kc/kd
Figure 9
Comparison between the suggested mathematical solution given by the authors, Rozanov [9,10] and Rezk [4].
Figure 10
Phreatic surface according to the suggested mathematical solution and that given by Rezk [4].
according to Rozanov [9,10], Rezk [4], and the present suggested solution given by the authors.
The present work falls between theoretical work established
by Rozanov [9,10] and the experimental one developed by
Rezk [4] as shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 10 shows comparison between phreatic surface developed according to Rezk [4] and the suggested solution given
by the authors.
It is clear that phreatic surface for the two above-mentioned
methods are almost close to each other at the rst zone of the
dam, through and after the core.
Phreatic surface in case of experimental work through the
rst and second zone is convex, while for the present work is
concave, and results are almost close especially in the third
zone as shown in Fig. 10.
7. Conclusions
A mathematical solution is suggested in case of earth dam with
an internal core. The following conclusions are made:
1. Design charts are presented in dimensionless form between
kc/kd and both d/h1 and Q1/Q and the suggested mathematical solution is compared with others and close agreement is
noticed.
2. Phreatic surface is drawn according to the suggested mathematical procedure and compared with the work given by
Rezk [4], and the phreatic surface in the two cases is almost
close to each other.
References
[1] B. Lofquist, Earth pressures in a thin impervious core, in:
Transactions, Fourth International Congress on Large Dams,
vol. 1, New Delhi, 1951, pp. 99109.
[2] Jamea P. Gorwdon, Rockll dams: dams with sloping earth
cores, Transaction, ASCE, vol. 125, Part II, Paper No. 3069,
1960.
[3] Lohr, Feiner, Asphaltic concrete cores, experiences and
developments, in: Transactions, Eleventh International
Congress on Large Dams, vol. III, Madrid, 1973.
[4] Mohamed Abd El-Razek M. Rezk, Earth dam with an internal
core, Alex. Eng. J., Alex. Univ. 34 (1) (1995) C1C13.
[5] M. Masksimovic, Optimum position of the central clay core of a
rockll dam in respect to arching and hydraulic fracture, in:
Transaction, Eleventh International Congress on Large Dams,
vol. III, Madrid, 1973.
[6] Mohamed Rezk, Rabiea Nasr, An experimental study for seepage
through an earth dam with cut-off wall based on an inclined
impervious base, Alex. Eng. J., Alex. Univ. 29 (4) (1990) 209214.
[7] Mohamed Rezk, Rabiea Nasr, Seepage through an earth dam
founded on layer of nite depth with cut-off wall, Alex. Eng. J.,
Alex. Univ. 31 (1) (1992) C315C325.
[9] N.P. Roznanv, Hydrotechnical Structures, Strouizdat, Moscow,
1978, pp. 168173.
[10] N.N. Roznanv, Earth Dams, Strouizdat, Moscow, 1983, pp.
118123.
Further Reading
[8] P.Ya. Polubarinova-Kochina, Theory of the Motion of Ground
Water, Gostekhizdat, Moscow, 1952, p. 135.