Geo-Congress 2019 GSP 313 67

Internal Erosion and Piping Evolution in Earth Dams Using an Iterative Approach
Fadi Saliba1; Ronald Bou Nassar2; Naji Khoury3; and Yara Maalouf4
1
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Notre Dame
Univ.–Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. E-mail: fadisaliba@outlook.com
2
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Notre Dame
Univ.–Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. E-mail: ronaldmbn@gmail.com
3
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Notre Dame Univ.–
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Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. E-mail: nnkhoury@gmail.com

4
Laboratory Instructor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Notre Dame Univ.–
Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. E-mail: yara.warde@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Internal erosion, also known as piping, is one of the major causes of earth dam failures.
Piping occurs when flowing water transports soil particles out of the structure of the dam
creating a hole within the embankment. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau
of Reclamation almost 30% of dam failures are due to piping. Lebanon, a developing country,
also has its share of dam failure. Recently, two earth dams failed in Laqlouq area, Lebanon, due
to erosion causing a massive inundation. No systematic studies have been conducted to provide
better insight on piping evolution/failure in Lebanon. Plaxis 2D, a commercial finite element
software, was used to model one of the sustained earth dams in Laqlouq area. The aim of this
study is to show the piping evolution using an iterative approach within the body of the structure.
Soil properties (i.e., permeability, strength, density) were determined in the laboratory using
ASTM standard methods. Disturbed soil samples were collected from the earth dam. 2D model
of the dam was created and the initiation of piping was determined based on the hydraulic
gradient " i " versus the critical hydraulic gradient " icr " . Piping was identified at the location
where the hydraulic gradient was greater than the critical hydraulic gradient. Findings showed
that the current dam is susceptible to internal erosion, triggering the formation of a pipe and
failure.

1. INTRODUCTION
An earth dam is a well-compacted earth embankment designed for water storage. They are
the most economical types of dams to construct and mainly used in developing countries. Earth
dams are of paramount importance because they are used to supply and divert water, for flood
control, power generation, agriculture and other applications. Earth dam failure is a catastrophic
phenomenon since it can be fatal and causes extreme property damage. For example, Teton Dam
in Southeast Idaho failed as a result of internal erosion (Xu and Zhang, 2013). Another good
example is the Baldwin Hills Dam Failure in Log Angeles Country studied by Sharma and
Kumar (2013). In 2018, the Association of State Dam Safety Official (ASDSO), stated the
different reasons of earth dams failures: overtopping (water spilling over the top of the dam),
foundation defect and slope instability, poor design, cracking, inadequate maintenance and
upkeep, internal and external erosion (ASDSO, 2018). According to Zhang et al. (2009), around
41.5% of dams fail due to technical deficiencies, out of those 64.3% fail due to piping. The
previously stated numbers imply that 26.68% of earth dams fail due to internal erosion/piping,
making it a very dangerous phenomenon. Seepage, resulting in a piping effect, is the main cause

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of internal erosion. Piping occurs when flowing water transports soil particles out of the
structure of the dam creating a hole within the embankment and making the dam vulnerable to
failure. This effect increases incrementally over time since more material is being washed out
through the cavity pipe within the dam. Fell et al. (2003) conducted a study to estimate the
amount of time it takes for the development of piping. The study presented a method for
estimating the time for progression of internal erosion and piping, as well as development of a
breach leading to failure in embankment dams and their foundation. In a related study, Wan and
Fell (2004) developed a slot erosion test and a hole erosion test to study the erosion
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characteristics of soil in cracks in embankment dams. Their results showed coarse-grained, non-
cohesive soils, in general, erode more rapidly and have lower critical shear stresses than fine-
grained soils. Flores-Berrones et al. (2011) studied an earth-rock dam in Mexico that failed due
to internal erosion. The findings of this study revealed that the main reason of failure is related to
the hydraulic fracturing caused by the hydrostatic pressure around the outlet pipe, which
exceeded the transverse normal and tensile stresses in such zones. A physically based numerical
model for simulating piping in earth dams due to concentrated leak erosion was developed in a
study by Xu and Zhang (2013). Their model can be used to predict the outflow hydrograph and
piping characteristics in addition to showing the evolution of piping including surface erosion
and collapse of the soil in the pipe wall, as a function of hydraulic conditions and soil properties.
Tao and Tao (2017a) studied the micro-mechanism of the piping erosion using Coupled
Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM). This study
identified the three main stages of erosion: initial movement, continuation of erosion and total
heave. The study gave insight into the micro-mechanism of erosion through inspection of the
evolution of contact force, hydraulic force, coordination number and void fraction. It was found
that the piping does not always start from the free surface and its evolution heavily depends on
particle size and porosity distribution. Another recent study by Tao and Tao (2017b) recently
studied the factors affecting piping erosion resistance using a (CFD – DEM) approach. Analyses
of simulation results were consistent with experimental results in the existing literature. Many
other studies (Leonards et al, 1991; ITASCA, 1999; Foster et al., 2000; Farra et al., 2007; Rice et
al., 2007; Gattinoni and Francani, 2009; Newhouse, 2010; Fleshman and Rice 2014; and Sharif
et al., 2015) have been conducted to examine piping behavior within dams.
Lebanon is one of the countries affected by earth dam failure. Recently two earth dams failed
in Lebanon, one due to internal and the other due to external erosion. Although studies (e.g.,
Farah et al., 2015; Abi Aad et al. 2015; Tovmassian et al., 2016, Daccache et al., 2016 and
Nassar et al, 2015) have attempted to address piping in Lebanon, no systematic studies have been
conducted to analyze the mechanism of the piping effect in dams in Lebanon. Consequently, this
study aims to assess the mechanism of piping and predict the piping evolution path within earth
dams using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) The remainder of this paper is organized as follows:
Section 2 extensively explains the modeling process and the laws behind it. Section 3 describes
in details the earth dam considered and the data collection. Section 4 explains the FEM process.
Section 5 discusses the results. Finally, the conclusion is drawn in Section 6.

2. MODELING OF PIPING EVOLUTION

Piping evolution was simulated using a modified approach described by Gattinoni and
Francani (2009) that relies on Darcy’s Law:
v  k i
Where ʋ is the velocity of water particles (m/day); k is the permeability of the soil (m/day);

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and i is the hydraulic gradient

The approach uses an iterative scheme consisting of: (1) determining the initial hydraulic
gradient i near the toe of the earth dam (i.e., water exit point). If the hydraulic gradient reaches a
'
critical threshold ( icr  ; where   is the effective unit weight), then localized piping is
 water
initiated; (2) replacing the mesh elements within the localized piping area (i.e., i  i cr ) with
elements with higher permeability, porosity, lower density and strength; (3) performing stability
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analysis and water flow analysis; (4) determining the new i and comparing it with i cr to identify
new cells with piping potential and defining the widening piping area and its path; (5) carrying
out a repetitive simulation of steps 2 – 4, where the shape, size and property of the piping area is
changed. Gattinoni and Francani (2009) considered the phenomenon as a backward piping
evolution in the analysis of a slope, where for each simulation the corresponding hydraulic
gradient in the nearby area is increased. The phenomenon and mechanisms start from the toe of
the dam and progress backward, widening the piping area to the upper end of the dam. Figure 1
shows the steps for modeling piping in an earth dam using the iterative model proposed by
Gattinoni and Francani (2009) for slope stability analysis.

Figure 1 - Iterative Process for Piping Evolution (Gattioni and Francani, 2009)

3. ANALYZED DAM LOCATION AND SOIL PROPERTIES

In this study, an earth dam located in Laqlouq (Northing 34o0829.01″, Easting 35o5343.32″)
was modeled for piping evolution. Laqlouq is a mountainous village located in Jbeil District,
Lebanon with an altitude ranging from 1800 to 2000 m. Approximately, 200 earth dams have
been identified in this area; all being constructed without prior engineering design. Several visits

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were done to the site and visual inspections were conducted to monitor any apparent signs of
erosion. Twenty disturbed soil samples were collected using bulk sampling between the toe and
the crest at different depths. Two undisturbed samples were collected using Shelby Tubes
(ASTM D1587) from the crest of the dam at depths of 60 cm and 100 cm. Laboratory tests were
conducted according to the ASTM standards. The soil was classified as Lean Clay (CL) in
accordance with the Unified Soil Classification System (ASTM D2487-17). The unit weight was
determined using the standard test (ASTM D7263) and was found to be 18.9 kN/m3. The Plastic
Limit (PL), Liquid Limit (LL) and Plasticity Index (PI) were found using the Atterberg limit tests
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(ASTM D4318) and yielded the values of 17%, 34% and 17% respectively. The permeability of
approximately 0.035 × 10-3 m/day was generated using ASTM D5084. The strength parameters,
cohesion and angle of friction, obtained from the consolidated undrained direct shear test (ASTM
D6528-07) were equivalent to 14.5 kPa and 23° respectively.

4. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING

Plaxis 2D, an FEM software, was used for analysis. The dam dimensions are depicted in
Figure 2 – it is considered as a homogenous dam with a crest height of 5 meters, a base length of
28 meters. The upstream and downstream slopes correspond to 1:3.5 and 1:1.5 respectively. A
15-node plane strain elements was used to generate the finite element mesh for the analysis and
sensitivity mesh analysis was conducted. The dam was studied using the Hardening Soil (HS)
model, an advanced model for the simulation of soil behavior which accurately predicts
displacements and failure for different types of soils (Brinkgreve, 2010). Soil stiffness was
described using three different input stiffnesses: triaxial stiffness (E 50) triaxial unloading stiffness
(Eur), and oedometer loading stiffness (E oed). The model parameters are summarized in Table 1.
The properties were assumed constant throughout the cross section.

Figure 2 - Dimensions of the Dam

Piping analysis was conducted by first comparing the hydraulic gradient " i " at the toe of the
dam to the critical hydraulic gradient (in this case, " icr  0.68" ) in order to identify the critical
area prone to internal seepage. As per Darcy’s law, the hydraulic gradient " i " is obtained by
dividing the velocity of the water, which is obtained from Plaxis analysis by the permeability " k "
. In a second step, the permeability of the weak area was changed (in this study it was increased

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by a factor of 10) to k = 0.35 × 10-3 m/day. The weak area’s dimensions were estimated from
Plaxis results graph which showed the area that had the highest rate of water flow. After
changing the permeability, the analysis is repeated and the new hydraulic gradient is compared to
the critical hydraulic gradient and the properties of the new area are changed. These steps were
repeated until reaching the upstream of the dam. The total area which have the permeability
changed, will look like a pipe within the body of the dam and this will be the piping/internal
erosion evolution.

Table 1 - Physical Properties

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Parameter Symbol Value Unit

Effective cohesion c’ 38 kPa
Effective friction angle Ф’ 27 º
Dry unit weight d 18.9 kN/m3
Permeability k 0.035 x 10-3 m/day
Stiffness modulus for E50ref 1500 kN/m2
primary loading in
drained triaxial test
Stiffness modulus for ref
Eoed 1500 kN/m2
primary loading in
oedometer test
Stiffness modulus for Eurref 3231 kN/m2
unloading/reloading in
drained triaxial test

Figure 3 - Water particles flow through the dam (First iteration)

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The initial conditions of the dam are shown in Figure 3. The first critical area was found
around the toe of the downstream with a high exit velocity and pressure around the toe as per
Figure 4. The velocity obtained at the first run was 0.031 x103 m / day . Since the hydraulic
gradient " i " corresponding to this velocity was 0.89, which was higher than icr  0.68 , piping
would most likely occur in this area. As previously indicated, the process consisted of changing
the permeability of the weak area susceptible for piping (where i  icr ) by increasing it with a
factor of 10 (k  0.35x103 m / day) . Figure 5 shows the new area that was subjected to changes

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in permeability value at the end of the first iteration (triangle in light blue).
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Figure 4 - Water velocity in first Critical Area

Figure 5 - Area with i > icr (Second iteration)

The analysis was repeated with the new properties and Figure 6 shows the water flow in the
new model and Figure 7 shows the velocity in the weak area which has a maximum of
0.262 x103 m / day . It is evident in Figure 7 that the critical zone (shown in Figure 4 as red)
started to shift backward (indicated with a red ellipse).

Figure 6 - Second iteration, Water particles flow

Repeating the process progressively resulted in a model of the piping path as shown in Figure
9. The path was close to the bottom of the dam where the maximum flow occurred, however at
approximately 16 meters from the toe the path started rising to an average height of 1 meter with

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the final path.

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Figure 7 - Second Iteration, Water velocity

Figure 8: Final iteration, Weak area

Figure 9: Water particle flow within the predicted internal piping area
As per Plaxis, the factor of safety decreased as the piping evolution propagates backward to
the upstream. It is an indication that the piping affects the stability of the dam.
Hence, the internal erosion/piping evolution was predicted for an existing dam using an
iterative approach. This prediction can help avoid any catastrophe in the future by locating and
strengthening the weak area of the dam using geo-membranes or any other technique and that is
what makes this study unique.

6. CONCLUSION
The iterative approach of the hydraulic gradient was used in this study to predict the
formation of piping due to internal erosion within an earth dam in Laqlouq area, Lebanon.
Results showed that the analyzed dam is susceptible to piping, which could trigger failure and
then the collapse of the dam. Recommendations were provided to the municipalities to take
counter measure to avoid any failure. The state of the art concept used in this study can be

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applied for various types of soil layers and dimensions of the remaining earth dams in the area to
help prevent future failures. The limitation in this study consist on the assumption that the
material properties are constant all over the cross section of the dam, which in real life is not
always the case. The research team is currently conducting a laboratory study on a small-scale
dam and a field study to validate the finding from this research.

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