BAA2513 SOIL MECHANICS & GEOLOGY
8.4 Seepage Calculation from a Flow Net 267
Revision on Seepage
h1
Dq h2
h3
b1 h4
l1
b2
l2 b3
Dq1 l3
D q2 Dq Figure 8.5 Seepage through a
Dq3 flow channel with rectangular
elements
and
Nf
q 5 kH 1N 2nd
(8.13)
Figure 8.6 shows a flow net for seepage around a single row of sheet piles. Note
that flow channels 1 and 2 have square elements. Hence, the rate of flow through
these two channels can be obtained from Eq. (8.9):
k k 2kH
Dq1 1 Dq2 5 H1 H5
Nd Nd Nd
However, flow channel 3 has rectangular elements. These elements have a width-to-
length ratio of about 0.38; hence, from Eq. (8.12),
k
Dq3 5 H(0.38)
Nd
Water level
H
5.6 m Water table
2.2 m
Ground surface l
Flow channel 1 51
b
b l
d Flow channel 2 51
c b
a 4.1 m l 1
e Flow channel 3 <
b 0.38
Scale
5m
Impervious layer
Figure 8.6 Flow net for seepage around a single row of sheet piles
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268 Chapter 8 | Seepage
So, the total rate of seepage can be given as
kH
q 5 Dq1 1 Dq2 1 Dq3 5 2.38 (8.14)
Nd
Example 8.1
A flow net for flow around a single row of sheet piles in a permeable soil layer
is shown in Figure 8.6. Given that kx 5 kz 5 k 5 5 3 1023 cm/sec, determine
a. How high (above the ground surface) the water will rise if
piezometers are placed at points a and b
b. The total rate of seepage through the permeable layer per
unit length
c. The approximate average hydraulic gradient at c
Solution
Part a
From Figure 8.6, we have Nd 5 6, H1 5 5.6 m, and H2 5 2.2 m. So the head loss
of each potential drop is
H1 2 H2 5.6 2 2.2
DH 5 5 5 0.567 m
Nd 6
At point a, we have gone through one potential drop. So the water in the
piezometer will rise to an elevation of
(5.6 2 0.567) 5 5.033 m above the ground surface
At point b, we have five potential drops. So the water in the piezometer
will rise to an elevation of
[5.6 2 (5)(0.567)] 5 2.765 m above the ground surface
Part b
From Eq. (8.14),
H1 2 H2) (2.38)(5 3 1025 m/sec)(5.6 2 2.2)
k(H
q 5 2.38 5
Nd 6
5 6.74 3 1025 m3/sec/
c/m
c/
/m
Part c
The average hydraulic gradient at c can be given as
head loss DH 0.567 m
i5 5 5 5 0.138
average length of flow between d and e DL 4.1 m
(Note: The average length of flow has been scaled.)
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8.4 Seepage Calculation from a Flow Net 269
Example 8.2
Seepage takes place around a retaining wall shown in Figure 8.7. The hydrau-
lic conductivity of the sand is 1.5 3 1023 cm/s. The retaining wall is 50 m long.
Determine the quantity of seepage across the entire wall per day.
Solution
For the flow net shown in Figure 8.7, Nf 5 3 and Nd 5 10. The total head loss
from right to left, H 5 5.0 m. The flow rate is given by [Eq. (8.10)],
Nf
q 5 kH
Nd
5 (1.5 3 1025 m/s)(5.0) 1103 2 5 2.25 3 10 25
m3/s/m
Seepage across the entire wall,
Q 5 2.25 3 1025 3 50.0 3 24 3 3600 m3/day 5 97.2 m3/day
5m
Retaining wall
Sand
Impervious layer
Figure 8.7
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270 Chapter 8 | Seepage
Example 8.3
Two sheet piles were driven 4 m apart into clayey sand, as shown in Figure 8.8,
and a 2-m depth of soil between the two sheet piles was removed. To facilitate
some proposed construction work, the region between the sheet piles is being
dewatered where the water level is lowered to the excavation level by pumping
out water continuously. Some equipotential lines have been drawn. Complete
the flow net.
Assuming the hydraulic conductivity of the clayey sand as 2 3 1024 cm/s, esti-
mate the quantity of water that has to be pumped out per meter length per day.
Solution
By symmetry, it is possible to analyze only one half of the configuration shown
in Figure 8.8. The flow net for the left half is shown in Figure 8.9. Here, Nf ø 2.9
(ø 3), Nd 5 10, and H 5 4.5 m.
4.0 m
2.5 m Sheet pile
Ground Level
2.0 m
Excavation level
3.0 m Clayey sand
Impervious stratum
Figure 8.8
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8.5 Flow Nets in Anisotropic Soil 271
4.0 m
2.5 m Sheet pile
Ground Level
2.0 m
3.0 m Clayey sand
Impervious stratum
Figure 8.9
The flow rate in the left half can be given by
Nf
q 5 kH
Nd
5 (2 3 1026)(4.5) 12.9
10 2
(24 3 3600) 5 0.226 m /day/m 3
Considering the two halves, the flow rate is 0.452 m3/day/
day/m
/m.
8.5 Flow Nets in Anisotropic Soil
The flow-net construction described thus far and the derived Eqs. (8.10) and (8.13)
for seepage calculation have been based on the assumption that the soil is isotropic.
However, in nature, most soils exhibit some degree of anisotropy. To account for
soil anisotropy with respect to hydraulic conductivity, we must modify the flow net
construction.
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