SUB SURFACE

FLOW
CONSIDERATION
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Bligh Creep Theory

Bligh in his theory advocated that the design of impervious
floor is directly dependent on the path of percolation. He
assumed that Hydraulic slope or gradient is constant
throughout the impervious length of the apron.
He further assumed that percolating water creeps along the
contact of base profile of the weir and subsoil and thus, head
or energy is lost.
This loss of head is proportional to length of travel of creeping
water. Bligh called this length as creep length.
This creep length is the sum of horizontal as well as vertical
length of creep. He asserted that unless the cutoff walls or
sheet piles extend upto the impervious subsoil strata,
percolation cannot be stopped. The cutoff walls, sheet piles
when provided, can only increase the path of percolation to
reduce the hydraulic gradient.
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Bligh Creep Theory

Considering the enclosed figure-’a’, the creep length ‘L’
according to Bligh is L = l and for the figure-’b’ with two sheet
piles of depth d1 and d2 the creep length is
L = 2d1 + l +2d2
It indicates that vertical cutoff has a weight of two and
horizontal floor has one. If ‘H’ is total loss of head, loss of head
per unit length of the creep (c) is now;
c= H =H
2d1 + l + 2d2 L
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Sub Surface Flow

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Design Criteria
Bligh gave two design Criteria
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(Figure-ii)

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Sub Surface Flow (Bligh’s Creep Theory)

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Sub Surface Flow (Bligh’s Creep Theory)

Figure-ii
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Sub Surface Flow

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Example
The following figure shows the section of a weir on permeable
foundation. Calculate the average Hydraulic gradient. Also calculate
uplift pressures and floor thickness at points A and B. Assume specific
gravity of floor material to be 2.65. Use Bligh Creep Theory.
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Solution:-
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Solution