CE 240

Soil Mechanics & Foundations

Lecture 6.1

Seepage I
(Das, Ch. 7)
 Class Outline

• Introduction
• Derivation of the Laplace equation
• One-D solution of the Laplace equation
• Flow nets
 Dam Failure – First Leakage
• Around 7:00 am on June 5, 1976 dam personnel
discovered a leak about 30 m from the top of the
dam (V.S. Pillai & B. Muhunthan, 2004).

Leak
The Dam Breaks (11:59 AM)
 Post Failure Investigations

General conclusions:
•Seepage piping and internal erosion
•Hydraulic fracture
•Wet seams
•Differential settlement and cracking
•Settlement in bedrock
•Seepage through rock openings
 Levee Stability: Seepage and Tunneling
Seepage and tunneling:

Seepage and tunneling have been the most common cause of levee failures in the system. Seepage occurs
when the water seeps through the tiny soil pores and finds its way into some bigger cracks. Once the water
enters some of the larger cracks, the water meets less resistance and may start moving enough to entrain some
of the surrounding soil particles, carrying them away and making the crack bigger. This starts a process of
“tunneling” where a tiny crack becomes larger and larger as the water starts moving through it and carrying the
surrounding soil particles away with it. Eventually the crack widens to the point where the water comes rushing
through the levee and crumbles the entire structure.
Another type of seepage and
tunneling can occur underneath the Seepage and tunneling
foundation of the levee rather than
through the levee. In some places,
there may be a sand layer in the
soils below the levee foundation.
Because the sand lacks cohesion, Tunneling
water infiltration may cause in cracks
tunneling in the sand layer. This
can cause “boils” to come up on
the land side of the levee and may
eventually undermine the levee Tunneling in sand layer
foundation causing failures. This
type of tunneling may be more Sand
common in the eastern Delta and layer
tributaries where historic sand
layers have been deposited from
previous river migrations.
 Levee Stability: Seepage and Tunneling
Levee Seepage Repairs:
Seepage Berm Slurry Wall

19
Derivation of the Laplace equation
In reality, flow always occurs in 3-dimension. We
need the equation of continuity and the Darcy’s law
to derive the Laplace Equation.
Or, remember, in another word:
Laplace equation is the combination of the equation
of continuity and the Darcy’s law.
?

?
Flow in:
vx dydz , v y dxdz , vz dxdy
Flow out:
∂vx ∂v y ∂vz
(v x + dx)dydz , (v y + dy )dxdz , (vz + dz )dxdy
∂x ∂x ∂x
by Flow in = Flow out:
∂vx ∂v y ∂vz
[(vx + dx)dydz + (v y + dy )dxdz + (vz + dz )dxdy ]
∂x ∂x ∂x
−[vx dydz + v y dxdz + vz dxdy ] = 0
we get the euqation of continuity:
∂vx ∂v y ∂vz
dxdydz + dydxdz + dzdxdy = 0
∂x ∂x ∂x
∂vx ∂v y ∂vz
+ + =0
∂x ∂y ∂z
B y D arcy's Law :
∂h ∂h ∂h
vx = k x , vy = ky , vz = k z
∂x ∂y ∂z
P ut into the continuity relation w e get:
∂ 2h ∂ 2h ∂ 2h
kx + ky + kz =0
∂x 2
∂y 2
∂z 2

W hen the soil is isotropic, w e have

kx = ky = kz = k
then w e get
∂ 2h ∂ 2h ∂ 2h
+ + = 0 (7.5)
∂x 2
∂y 2
∂z 2

T his is the Laplace equation.

T he equation of continuity:
∇⋅v = 0
the D arcy's Law :
v = k∇h
then w e get
∇ ⋅ v = ∇ ⋅ (k ∇ h) = k ∇ ⋅ ∇ h) = k ∇ 2h = 0
∴ ∇ 2h = 0 (7.5)
T his is the Laplace equation.
The 1D solution of the Laplace equation
the simplest Boundary Value Problem

Now consider the case of only the vertical flow exists,

then the Laplace equation (7.5) is simplified to
∂ h
2
=0
∂z 2

The solution of this equation is easy to get by having

a integration of h with respect to z twice

∂2h ∂h
= 0, = const = A1 , h = A1 z + const = A1 z + A2
∂z 2
∂z
This is the Equation (7.7) in the Textbook.
The 1D solution of the Laplace equation (cont.)

The constants A1 and A2 can be determined by the

boundary conditions (refer to Figure 7.2). For Soil 1:

z=0

z=H1

Condition 1: h = h1 at z = 0,
Condition 2: h = h2 at z = H1 .
h = A1 z + A2 (7.7)
Condition 1: h = h1 at z = 0,
Condition 2: h = h2 at z = H1 .
 For Soil 2 (bottom part):
The boundary conditions are:

Condition 1: h = h2 , at z = H1 ,
Condition 2: h = 0, at z = H1 + H 2 .

z=0

z=H1

z=H1+H2
h = A1 z + A2 (7.7)
Condition 1: h = h2 , at z = H1 ,
Condition 2: h = 0, at z = H1 + H 2 .
Next, we can link flow in soil 1 and soil 2 by

q1 = q2 = q
Now we can predict the head in soil 1 if we know the hydraulic
conductivities in soil 1 and soil 2.
Now we can predict the head in soil 2 if we know the hydraulic
conductivities in soil 1 and soil 2.
Figure 7.2
Flow nets

In an isotropic medium kx = k y = kz = k
∂ 2
h ∂ 2
h ∂ 2
h
the Laplace Equation + 2 + 2 = 0 (7.5)
∂x 2
∂y ∂z
represents two orthogonal families of curves:
1), Flow lines: the line along which a water
particle will travel from upstream to the
downstream side in the permeable soil medium;
2), Equipotential lines: the line along which the
potential (pressure) head at all points is equal;
3), Flow nets: the combination of flow lines and
equipotential lines.
 (a)

Figure 7.3 (b)

My comments:
Not only keeping the
BC in mind, but actually
the drawing should be
starting from the
boundaries.

(Figure 7.3b)
Figure 7.5
Reading Assignment:
Das, Ch. 7
Homework:
7.1, 7.3, 7.5