L.

16
SEEPAGE FORCES & CAPILLARITY
CIVE 430
SOIL MECHANICS & LAB

FALL 2022
 STRESSES DUE TO FLOW
STATIC SITUATION (NO FLOW)
WATER total
stress
AT X:
v = whw + satz
hw
top
pore
pressure u = w hw + w z
head at top and
bottom is the
same. Because L
z effective
stress v ' = v ‐ u
there is no flow
head at any point X
v ' = (sat ‐ w)z
is the same
SOIL
bottom

v ' = ' z
Submerged Unit Weight
 STRESSES DUE TO FLOW
UPWARD FLOW Hin = 0 + uin/ w = hw+L+hL
FLOW
Hout = L + uout/ w = hw+L
AT X:
v = whw + satz hL
Hin‐Hout = hL = u/ w

… as for static case

u = w hw + w(L+hL)(z/L)
hw uOUT = w hw
Htop=L+hw

= w hw + w(z+iz) z
gradient=hL/L L Diff head between top and bottom
Dela H=hL
= w (hw+z) + wiz X
linear variation
of the head
SOIL
DATUM H bottom=hw+hL+L
Increase due to flow

v ' = ' z ‐ wiz uIN = w (hw+L+hL)

effective stress decreases as water tube length
increases and it approaches 0. When flow from
Reduction due to flow bottom to top effective stress decreases

if sigma v ' =0 liquefaction if gradient high enough( i=1, flow high enough to liquefy soil)-> no shear strength
 STRESSES DUE TO FLOW
DOWNWARD FLOW effective strength is going to increase

FLOW
AT X:
v = whw + satz
hw uin = w hw
hL
u = w hw + w(L‐hL)(z/L)
z
= w hw + w(z‐iz) L
X

= w (hw+z) ‐ wiz SOIL

Reduction due to flow

v ' = ' z + wiz uout = w (hw+L‐hL)

Increase due to flow
 STRESSES DUE TO FLOW
 When the flow is upwards in the soil, pore 
water pressure increases and effective stress 
decreases. 
 When the flow is downward, the pore water 
pressure decreases and the effective stress 
increases. 
 The higher the hydraulic gradient, the higher 
the increase or decrease in the values of 
pore pressure and effective stress. 
 QUICK CONDITION IN GRANULAR SOILS volume displaced equal to part submerged-> floats

DURING UPWARD FLOW, AT X: FLOW

v ' = ' z ‐ wiz

hL
if i>=gamma'/gamma w we
are going to get quick

௪
conditions

௪ quick sand, flow upwards, effective

stress is 0-> zero shear strength (only
hw
thing that resists is buoyancy).

Critical hydraulic gradient (ic)
z
L
X
If  i > ic, the effective stresses is <0!
SOIL
i.e., no inter‐granular contact & thus failure.

“QUICK” CONDITION
 EXAMPLE: QUICK CONDITIONS
GIVEN:
FLOW
A layer of sand has a Gs of 2.66. Calculate the 
hydraulic gradient that will cause quick conditions to 
occur as a result of upward flow. Do the calculation 
for void ratios e = 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 0.7, and 0.8.

1.4
SOLUTION:
1.2
Critical Hydraulic Gradient (icr)

1
z
NOTE: 0.8
X
To minimize the likelihood  0.6
or probability of getting  SOIL
quick conditions in  0.4
granular soils, try to  0.2
increase the density of 
the soil (decrease the  0
voids or void ratio). 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Void Ratio (e)

 CAPILLARITY IN SOILS

 Water does not stay below the water table! 

 It is very common to find that the soil, just 
above the water table, is wet or even 
saturated!
 The phenomenon in which water is “Pulled 
upwards” from the water table is called 
“Capillary Rise”, and is the result of “Surface 
Tension” in the soil. 
 PRINCIPLES OF CAPILLARITY IN SOILS
Water does not stay below the water table! 

T T Summing Forces in 
  Vertical Direction: 
Capillary Tube
d Free Water  ଶ
Surface ௖ ௪
hc

௖
௪

Where: T = Surface Tension 
= Contact Angle
d = Diameter of Capillary Tube
 CAPILLARITY IN SOILS
 In soils, the pores in the soil mass can be considered as 
capillary tubes. 

 Based on the formula above, the height of the capillary 
rise is inversely proportional to the diameter of the 
capillary tube (i.e. the voids in the soils). 

 Since the voids in soils are about the same size as the 
size of the particles, capillary rise will be biggest for fine‐
grained soils (that is clays!)
 CAPILLARY RISE IN SOILS

SOIL TYPE RANGE OF CAPILLARY RISE (M)

COARSE SAND 0.12 – 0.18

FINE SAND 0.3 – 1.2

SILT 0.76 – 7.6

CLAY 7.6 ‐ 23
PORE WATER PRESSURE IN CAPILLARY ZONE

The pressure at any point in the Capillary tube above the 
free water surface will be negative with respect to 
atmospheric pressure, and the magnitude may be given by 
hc .w
T T
hcw
Free 
Water  d

Depth
Surface hc

- Pressure +
PORE WATER PRESSURE IN CAPILLARY ZONE

 If Capillary zone is fully saturated, the pore water 
pressure at any point in the capillary zone is negative 
and equal to u = ‐hw (h being the height of the point 
above the water table

 If Capillary zone is partially saturated, the pore water 
pressure at any point in the capillary zone is also 
negative and equal to u = ‐(S/100)hw (S being the 
degree of saturation).
 EFFECTIVE STRESS IN CAPILLARY ZONE
 Effective Stress in Capillary zone is large because the 
pore water pressure is negative. 

 However, in design, the negative pore water pressure in 
the capillary zone is neglected (taken to be zero), and 
the effective stress is taken equal to the total stress.

PORE WATER PRESSURE (u)

Capillary Zone

Water Table

FOR DESIGN