Earth Embankment Dams

Dr. Muhammad Awais

Control of Seepage Through Embankment
• The seepage through the dam embankment is
controlled by two steps:
1. Minimize the seepage rate and volumes.
2. And streamline any seepage to exit from the dam
without any damage to the embankment (safe
seepage exit gradients).

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1. Minimize the Seepage:
• All the fill materials will allow some seepage through
the embankment.
• The impermeability of the core minimizes the seepage
rate.
• Thus, permeability and the thickness of the core will
ultimately set the seepage rate through the
embankment.
• Thus, thick cores having minimum permeability
materials will result in smaller seepage rates.
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2. Contain and streamline the seepage:
• For a sustained high-level reservoir, the seepage flow
occurs through the dam section.
• The seepage emerges at the d/s face of homogeneous
and zoned dams.
• Following arrangements are used to contain and
streamline the exit of seepage flow from the dam body.

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Rockfill Toe and Toe Drain
• The d/s toe of a homogeneous embankment is
constituted of rockfill material with a graded filter
between the earthfill and rockfill pervious material.
• The seepage line will converge towards the rockfill and is
then exits safely across the d/s slope keeping the d/s
slope dry and safe.
• A graded filter is provided between the embankment fill
material and the rockfill toe to prevent migration of
embankment materials into the rockfill toe.
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• Frequently a perforated toe drain of rockfill grade
material (Fig. 4.5) is constructed near and below the
outer end of the toe to collect the seepage flow.
• A perforated pipe is embedded in a trench filled with
fine rock fill.
• The toe drain collects the seepage discharging from the
embankment and the foundation and lead it to an
outfall into the river channel below.
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• Toe drains may be made of vitrified clay or concrete,
perforated corrugated metal or PVC pipe.
• Drains are placed in trenches below the ground surface
to ensure effective interception of seepage flow.
Minimum depth below GS = 4 ft, maximum as required
to maintain uniform gradient.
• Bottom width of trench is 3-4 ft, pipe dia- 6 to 24
depending on gradient, reach length, seepage rate.
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• Drain pipe is surrounded by geotextile filter to prevent
clogging.
• Material surrounding drain must satisfy filter criteria.
• The fill materials in the trench and surrounding the drain
pipe include:
• Graded sand, Sand and gravel or selected fine rock, and
Graded gravel or crushed rock

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Drainage Blanket
• Blanket drains are provided under the base of
embankment fill material and extend d/s of impervious
zone, impervious diaphragm or 1/4 to 1/3 base of the
dam (Figs. 4.3 and 4.9).
• The blanket drain will intercept the seepage line.
• Drainage blanket may contain one or more layers of
coarse filter grade materials of filter criteria to match
with the materials on two sides of the filter.

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• The thickness of the blanket should be enough to carry
the seepage flow to the toe drain at the end of the
blanket.
• The blanket drain may not provide full protection
against seepage over a stratification layer which moves
horizontally over the layer and ultimately reaches the
downstream face.

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Blanket Drain:
• It may be a continuous layer along whole length of dam or
may be intermittent and connected with chimney drain.
• The length of the dram should reach to d/s edge of core or
u/s water depth for a uniform dam. In some cases it may
extend under the core.
• Large length of drain decreases the seepage flow path and
increase seepage.

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• The thickness varies 3 ft and above. Material is of filter
criteria. A toe drain or a drainage gallery is also
provided at outer end to collect the seepage.

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Chimney Drain
• This is a vertical or inclined drain (made of graded
filter) provided inside the dam body (Figs 4.4, and 4.6
to 4.8).
• These are usually placed d/s of the impervious core
and may be vertical or inclined (30o    120o).
• The chimney drain may be composed of one or more
zones to match the gradation of the adjacent
materials.
• The chimney drain intercepts the seepage flow that
crosses the core.
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• It may be single graded or double graded depending
upon gradation of fill materials on the two sides of the
chimney drain.
• Chimney drain is used in conjunction with horizontal
drainage blanket.
• Chimney drain is connected to blanket drain at bottom
or into a floor channel of drainage gallery.
• The chimney drain can be equally useful for a
homogeneous dam with a toe drain.
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• The dam fill placement and compaction in layers form
a pseudo-layered condition where seepage flow
entering in one layer will continue in the same layer
and will ultimately appear on d/s slope facing leading
to slope failure.
• The chimney drain will intercept the seepage from
these layers and lead safely to the toe drain (Fig. 4.4)

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Filter Criteria:
• The filter material is placed in toe, blanket or chimney
drains, and its materials must match with the gradation
of the adjacent materials to ensure stability of the filter
and adjacent materials.
• The filter must have large flow capacity to transmit
intercepted seepage flow out of the dam body.
• ‘D’ refers to the size of filter material (having larger size)
and ‘d’ refers to the size of base (adjacent) materials
having smaller size.
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• The fill and filter material are characterized by
Uniformity Coefficient CU = d60/d10
• and Coefficient of Curvature as: CC = d302/[d60xd10]
• and Self-Filtering Critera CSF = d502/[d60xd10].
• The filter criteria is as under:
1. D15/d15 = 5 to 40
2. D15/d85  5 [This is to prevent migration of fines.]
3. D85/drain opening ≥ 2 [for toe drain]
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4. Gradation curve of filter material be parallel to gradation
curve of base material (similar CU as for base material).
5. If base material contains gravel, then filter is designed on
the basis of gradation curve of the portion of the material
finer than 1 sieve.
6. Filter should contain not more than 5% of fines passing #
200 sieves and the fines, if any, should be cohesionless.

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Dimensions of Filter Layer:
• Filter zone width and thickness is selected from point of
view of its carrying capacity after few years (when some
settlement, particle rearrangement had occurred and
some fines may have settled) and its constructability.
• Minimum thickness is one which can be constructed
without danger of gaps or areas of segregated
materials.
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• Horizontal filter layers can be thin, as 6 for sand and 12
for gravel but thicker layers are preferred.
• Chimney drains or transition zones min horizontal width
of the filter zone should be 8-10 ft, 10-12 ft preferable to
enable placement, handling and some compaction.
• For cost reasons or limited filter materials, 3-5 ft wide
zones may be used, but require more supervision and
hand labor for good construction.
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Mangla Dam raising project showing core, and u/s and d/s double filter layers.

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Mangla dam raising project showing core, and double filter layers.
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Foundation Design
• Foundation must ensure following design
requirements:
1. It must provide support for the embankment under all
conditions of saturation and loading.
2. It must provide sufficient resistance to seepage to
prevent excessive loss of water.

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• Foundation is not actually designed but treatments
are provided in design to ensure that all essential
requirements are met.
• No two foundations are exactly alike, each presents
its own separate and distinct problems. Foundation
improvements can be adopted to local conditions.
• 40% dam failures attributed to failure of the
foundation.
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• Foundation may be of rock, coarse grained material
(sand, gravel), or fine grained material (silt and clay).
• Roughly stratified.
• For hard foundation minimum treatment include
stripping of foundation area to remove sand, topsoil,
and other unsuitable materials.
• A key trench is provided to improve bonding of
impervious zone of embankment to the foundation.
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Rock Foundations
• Most rock foundations have adequate physical strength.
However, weathering near the surface make it weaker and
prone to excessive seepage flows.
• Some treatments may be done to improve strength and/or to
reduce seepage potential.
• The treatments includes: 1. Stripping, 2. Strengthening of weak
zones, 3. Grouting to make it water tight. Rock foundations are
very well suited for earth fill and rockfill dams.
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Sand Gravel Foundations
Characteristics
• Gravel/sand foundation has enough bearing/shear strength
to support small to medium earth fill and rockfill dams.
• However, these foundations are very conducive to seepage
and need suitable treatment for seepage and uplift
pressure control.
• These materials usually are laid over impervious geological
foundation at some depth below the surface.
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• Usually stratified heterogeneous mixture.
• Clean sand (fine and uniform) of low density is inherently
unstable due to its loose structure and is liable to collapse
under dynamic load as for earthquake.
• Vibrations/shock as for an earthquake tremor causes re-
adjustment of grains into a dense structure. Pore water
pressure increases suddenly (due to slow drainage) and
foundation behaves as liquid and results in sudden
liquification.
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Fine Grained (Silt, Clay) Foundation
Characteristics
• Foundation of fine-grained soil (silt, clay) are sufficiently
impermeable and thus no danger of under seepage and
piping
• Main problem is stability against consolidation and
shear failure due to low bearing/shear strength.
• Characteristics depend on location of water table, and
compactness of soil.
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 Thanks

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