Chapter six

Seepage

Lecturer
Dr. Mo’men Ayasrah

2021-2022

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1. Two-Dimensional Flow
2. Laplace’s Equation of Continuity
3. Flow Nets
4. Seepage Calculation from a Flow Net
5. Flow Nets in Anisotropic Soil
6. Uplift Pressure Under Hydraulic
Structures
7. Seepage through an Earth Dam
8. Control of Piping
9. Filter Design

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In the preceding chapter, we considered some simple cases for which direct application of
Darcy’s law was required to calculate the flow of water through soil.

In many instances, the flow of water through soil is not in one direction only, nor is it
uniform over the entire area perpendicular to the flow.

In such cases, the groundwater flow is generally calculated by the use of graphs referred to
as flow nets.

The concept of the flow net is based on Laplace’s equation of continuity, which governs the
steady flow condition for a given point in the soil mass. In the following sections of this
chapter, the derivation of Laplace’s equation of continuity will be presented along with its
application to seepage problems.

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 To derive the Laplace differential equation of continuity, let us consider a single row of sheet piles
that have been driven into a permeable soil layer, as shown in Figure (6.1a). The row of sheet piles is
assumed to be impervious. The steady-state flow of water from the upstream to the downstream side
through the permeable layer is a two-dimensional flow. For flow at a point A, we consider an
elemental soil block. The block has dimensions dx, dy, and dz (length dy is perpendicular to the
plane of the paper); it is shown in an enlarged scale in Figure (6.1b). Let vx and vz be the
components of the discharge velocity in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. The rate
of flow of water into the elemental block in the horizontal direction is equal to vx dz dy, and in the
vertical direction it is vz dx dy. The rates of outflow from the block in the horizontal and vertical
directions are, respectively,

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Figure 6.1 (a) Single-row sheet piles driven into permeable layer; (b) flow at A

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6.3 Flow Nets

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Flow Nets

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Flow Nets

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Flow Nets

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6.5

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Example

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6.6 Uplift Pressure Under Hydraulic Structures
The uplift force per unit length measured along the axis of the weir can be calculated by
finding the area of the pressure diagram.

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