SEMI FINALS CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 7 STRESSES IN SATURATED SOIL

SEEPAGE WITHOUT SEEPAGE
FLOW NETS - the groundwater flow is Effective Stress – the sum of the vertical
generally calculated by the use of graphs components of forces develop at the point of
- Combination of number of flow line contract of solid particles per unit cross
and equipotential lines sectional area of the soil mass.
-
LAPLACE EQUATION OF CONTINUITY –
governs steady flow condition for a given
point in the soil mass.

7.3 FLOW NETS

Flow Lines – a line along water molecules will
travel from the upstream to the
downstream side in the permeable soil
medium
Equipotential Line – is a line along which the
potential head at all points ia equal.

These two are perpendicular with each other.

SUMMARY
1. For two dimensional flow condition,
Laplace equation of continuity can be given
as Eq 7.4

2. For Isotropic condition with respect to the

hydraulic gradient conductivity, lx = kx’ Thus

3. Using laplace equation of continuity, flow

nets can be drawn

4. Flow lines and equipotential lines are two

families of curves. When Kx and Kx’, flow
lines and equipotential lines are two two
orthogonal families of curves
5. The rate of seepage (q) under hydraulic
structure (kx = kz = k) can be given as
Equation 7.13

Where n = width-to-length ratio of the flow

elements
Flow nets are generally drawn such
that n=1 and the elements are approximates
squares.