Chapter 4

Infiltration

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Overview
 Definition
 Factors affecting infiltration
 Methods to estimate infiltration

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 Definition
 The flow of water into the ground through the
earth’s surface.
 There will be infiltration when the rainfall
intensity is greater than the infiltration capacity
of soil. When the rainfall intensity is less than
the infiltration capacity of the soil then the
prevailing infiltration rate is equal to the
rainfall intensity. 3/111
Infiltration terminologies
 Infiltration Capacity(f) :is the maximum rate at which
a soil in any given condition is capable of absorbing
water.
 Infiltration rate :the actual prevailing rate of water in
the soil towards the ground water.
 If the rainfall intensity(I) exceeds the infiltration
capacity(f),the difference is called the excess
rainfall(Pe).This excess water is first of all accumulated
on the ground as surface detention and then flows
overland into streams .

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Infiltration

Factors affecting Infiltration

 Physical properties of the soil
 Soil moisture
 Rainfall intensity
 Land use
 Temperature
 Water quality
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 Infiltration

Can be Determined by:

 Experimental Measurement.
 Prediction.

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Infiltration

 Experimental Methods

Double Ring Infiltrometer

 Purpose:
 –measure infiltration capacity

 Principle: Reduces/eliminates
the influence of
 fill rings horizontal flows

 measure rate of drop in water level of inner ring over time

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Infiltration

Infiltration Capacity Curve

Definition
 maximum infiltration rate [cm/hr or in/hr]
 time dependent to some extent

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Infiltration

Infiltration process
Infiltration rates depend on both surface and
subsurface conditions:
 Surface conditions: Availability of water
 Subsurface conditions: Ability of water to infiltrate

 Rainfall intensity = I
 Actual Infiltration rate = f
 Infiltration capacity = fp
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 Infiltration

Infiltration capacity and infiltration rate

Case 1: Rainfall intensity exceeds infiltration capacity
 Water will pond

 Actual infiltration rate = infiltration capacity f = fp

 Surface runoff

Case 2: Infiltration capacity exceeds rainfall intensity

 All rain infiltrates, no ponding

 Actual infiltration rate = rainfall intensity f = i

 No surface runoff

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Infiltration

Infiltration Equations
 Deductive
 Richard’s
 Green Ampt
 Inductive
 Horton’s
 Phi Index

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Infiltration

Horton’s Equation

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Infiltration by Horton’s method

f  f c   f 0  f c e  kt
Infiltration

Horton’s Equation

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Infiltration

Horton’s Equation

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Infiltration

Horton's model for infiltration capacity

Infiltration rate [in/hr or cm/hr]:
f(t) = fc + (f0 – fc) e-kt
f : infiltration capacity [in/hr]
f0: initial infiltration capacity [in/hr]
fc: ultimate infiltration capacity [in/hr]
k : exponential (time) decay constant [hr-1]
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 f  f c  ( f o  f c )e  Kt

f  f c  ( f o  f c )e  Kt

Taking log on both sides;

log10 ( f  f c )   Kt log10 e  log10 ( f o  f c )

log10 ( f  f c )  log10 ( f o  f c )   Kt log10 e

1
t [log10 ( f  f c )  log10 ( f o  f c )]
K log10

 1 
t   
 log

10

(

f 

f

) 
 1
c  K log log (
10 of  f c 
)

Y  10  10
K log
  X
m C
 Hence the above equation
represents a straight line
having a slope= 1/Klog10e
The –ve sign shows that as t
increases, f decreases, and
therefore (f  fc) decreases
and hence log10 (f  fc)
decreases
The straight line graph is
shown in the adjacent figure
 Example:
The infiltration capacities of an area at different intervals of time
are indicated in table below.
Find an equation for the infiltration capacity in the exponential
form
Time t (hr) 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00
Infiltration
10.4 5.6 3.2 2.1 1.5 1.2 1.1 1 1
capacity f (cm/h)

Solution:
Let the equation for the Infiltration Capacity curve be
f  f  ( f  f )e Kt Here, f c  1cm/h; f 0  10.4 cm/h
c o c
t 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00
f 10.4 5.6 3.2 2.1 1.5 1.2 1.1 1 1
ffc 9.40 4.60 2.20 1.10 0.58 0.20 0.10 0.00 0.00
log10 (f  fc) 0.973 0.663 0.324 0.042 -0.301 -0.699 -1
From the graph: slope of the
straight line
1
 0.760
K log10 e
1
K   3.03
 0.760log10 (2.718)

The infiltration Eqn. is;

f  f c  ( f 0  f c )e  kt
f  1  (10.4  1)e 3.03t
f  1  9.4e 3.03t
Infiltration

 Cumulative infiltration depth [in or cm]:

F(t)   f c  (f 0 – f c ) e dt
-k t

f0  fc  kt
F(t)  f c t  [1  e ]
k

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Infiltration

Horton’s Equation
 Advantages:
 Simple
 Can be applied graphically
 Disadvantages:
 Parameters hard to estimate
 Only valid for i > f

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Infiltration

φ-index method
 Definition:
a constant infiltration
capacity units of
[in/hr] or [cm/hr]

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Infiltration

φ-index method
 Advantages:
 Simple
 Can be applied graphically
 Disadvantages:
 Assumes constant infiltration rate

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 Green Ampt Equation (1911)
The Green Ampt method of infiltration estimation is based
on Darcy’s law;
If; h  H  
h H  …(5.17)
f (t )  k Then; f (t )  k ( ) unit L/T
z H

Where;
Where;
H  depth of percolatin g w ater
k  hydraulic conductivity of soil
  capillary suction
h  hydraulic head
z  depth

When integrated with initial conditions H = 0, at t=0

and combined with Eqn. (5.18) yields
   F (t ) 
kt  F (t )   ln   …(5.21)
  
Where;
k  hydraulic conductivity of the soil (L/T)
  capillary suction of the soil above the w etting front (L)
  effective soil porosity
F (t )  cumulative infiltrati on volume at time t (L)

Green Ampt Equation (1911)

Assumptions:
1. The soil surface is covered by a pool of water whose depth can be
neglected
2. There is a distinctly defineable wetting front in the soil which can be
viewed
3. Once the soil is wetted the water content in the wetted zone does not
change as infiltration continues (i.e. hydraulic conductivity is constant)
4. There is a negative constant pressure just above the wetting front
 The volume of water in the soil
is a product of the difference Substituting
in the initial soil moisture
dF (t )
content and the final moisture f (t ) 
content times the depth of the dt
percolating water In Equation (5.18) results
 F (t )  H ( s  i )  H …(5.18)
dH
f (t )   …(5.19)

dt
F (t )  Volume of w ater in the soil
 s  final soil moisture content Setting Eqn. (5.17) equal to
 i  initial soil moisture content Eqn. (5.19) gives
  effective soil porosity dH H 
  k( ) …(5.20)
H  depth of percolatin g w ater dt H