SEEPAGE CONTROL AND SLOPE STABILITY OF ZONED

EMBANKMENT DAMS: A SHORT REVIEW

ROMANA YASMEEN

A Term Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Course, CE6405: Earth

Dam Ans Stability of Slopes for MSc in Civil Engineering

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING,

MILITARY INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

AUGUST 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF FIGURES.....................................................................................................................2

ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................4

1.1 General............................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER 2 ZONING FOR SEEPAGE CONTROL.....................................................................6

2.1 General............................................................................................................................6

2.2 Impact of impervious core (clay) geometry and slopes..............................................6

2.3 Impact of core anisotropy and Dam height.................................................................8

CHAPTER 3 ZONING FOR SLOPE STABILITY......................................................................10

3.1 General..........................................................................................................................10

3.2 Slope Stability................................................................................................................10

3.3 Overall Dam stability...................................................................................................10

CHAPATER 4 FINDINGS............................................................................................................13

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................15

REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

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 TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Typical Sections of the Zoned Embankment dam............................................................5

Figure 2: Phreatic line position without zoning with inner core.....................................................7
Figure 3: Phreatic line position with vertical inner core..................................................................7
Figure 4: Phreatic line position with wedge shaped inner core.......................................................8

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 ABSTRACT

A zoning study is necessary for embankment dam construction to determine material availability
and location near dam sites. Zoned dam bodies use resilient, heavy, and both permeable and
impermeable materials, while soil properties and characterization are uncertain. However, low-
permeability materials may not be securely used for dam core construction due to their wide
range of permeabilities and granulometry. To maximize dam safety, materials with low available
permeabilities can be carefully placed to zone the dam core. Apart from the core, zoning with
impervious blankets, pervious drains and filters give positive impact to the seepage control and
stability. This paper explores zoning of embankment dams, examining seepage pressure and dam
stability incorporating different dam components.

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

A zoning study of the materials used for the various elements of the embankment dams, such as
the core, upstream/downstream shells, filters, drains, transitions, protections, etc., is required
prior to the construction of earth dams in order to determine their availability and location in
areas nearby the dam sites.

Embankment dams can make greater use of locally accessible resources by having a zoned dam
body. In contrast to the core, which is made of the typically impervious materials, and the layers
of filters, drains, and transitions, which are made of the mostly granular materials, the upstream
and downstream shells are built using the most resilient, heavy, and permeable materials.
Usually, there are not enough quantity low-permeability material volumes on the dam site to
meet the dam core's construction requirements.

At the dam sites, soil exhibits varying properties, and its characterization contains uncertainty.
These materials have a wide range of permeabilities, a widespread granulometry, and the
presence of particles of diverse sizes. It seems unlikely that these heterogeneous materials could
be utilized securely for the dam core construction in these circumstances. Transportation of low-
permeability materials would be both economically unfeasible and results in an unsustainable
construction effort. In order to maximize dam safety, materials with low available permeabilities
could be carefully placed to zone the dam core (Sánchez-Martín et al., 2020).

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Figure 1: Typical Sections of the Zoned Embankment dam

The scope of this paper includes how the zoning of the embankment dams influence the seepage
pressure on the dam body and enhance the stability of the dam using different components to the
dam body.

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 CHAPTER 2
ZONING FOR SEEPAGE CONTROL

2.1 General

Seepage is the continuous flow of water from the upstream face of the earthen structures such as
a dam toward its downstream face. The stability of earth dam is influenced by the position of the
seepage line (i.e., phreatic line) (Ziaie and Rashidian, 2012) Approximately 30% of the earth
dam failure was triggered by the seepage failure through piping and sloughing
(Middlebrooks, 1953)
. Seepage can be controlled in the earth dam by two ways. The first way involves the
reduction of the quantity of seepage by providing anti-seepage elements such as sheet pile, cutoff
wall, slurry trench, clay sealing, u/s impervious blanket, etc. Whilst, the second way involves the
provision of safe outlet of water by providing filters, sand drains, stone columns, relief wells, etc.

Dam stability and water loss from reservoirs are both impacted by water seepage. As a result,
seepage is a significant issue in the development, implementation, and maintenance of
embankment dams. Non-homogeneous (zoned) embankment dams with a clay core are one type.
Water flows through the dam's core but loses a lot of energy owing to friction. Zoned
embankment dams may be constructed with vertical or inclined cores.

2.2 Impact of impervious core (clay) geometry and slopes

A study conducted using both SEEP2D and SEEP/W were used to simulate seepage in different
shaped-core in zoned embankment dams. Seepage through earth dams with internal cores was
simulated using the finite element numerical models SEEP2D and SEEP/W. Using various core
shapes and geometric scenarios, the impact of the core characteristics on seepage discharge rate
and the phreatic line-levels at the core's upstream and downstream faces was examined. There
were four core designs investigated: vertical, wedge-shaped (vertical core with sloping sides and

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a narrower upper width that progressively grows toward the base of the dam), upstream inclined,
and downstream inclined (on the downstream side and inclined upstream). The wedge-shape was
the most effective in reducing seepage quantity, followed by the vertical core, upstream and
downstream inclined cores. Core slope had minimal effect on the ratio of upstream water level to
the level of the phreatic line and seepage discharge through the dam shell, especially when is
below 0.01. The phreatic level on the downstream face, is the most affected parameter, especially
for inclined cores. The core's upper width ratio, is effective for all core types except the wedge-
shaped core. Reducing the ratio of the permeability of the core to shell reduces the seepage
discharge ratio and phreatic level on the downstream core face, increasing safety against seepage
effects (Abdel-Kawy, Aboulatta and El-Molla, 2021).

Figure 2: Phreatic line position without zoning with inner core

Figure 3: Phreatic line position with vertical inner core

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Figure 4: Phreatic line position with wedge shaped inner core

Another study has revealed that, compared to vertical cases with a same area of core, seepage
discharge for cases with slanting cores was greater using both analytical calculation and Slide 6.0
software. They studied the seepage through a zoned embankment dam with a vertical and
slanting core cases for various top widths and side slopes. Diverse top widths ranging from (3-10
meters) and different side slopes ranging from 0H:1V to 2H:1V were examined for vertical core
situations. As side slopes and top breadth rise, seepage discharge decreases due to the core
material's lower permeability coefficient. In slanting core situations, the downstream portion was
found dry during steady state condition and helped to increase downstream stability. Due to its
lower permeability coefficient than shell material, seepage discharge through the dam was
minimized by increasing side slopes and top breadth. Due to the lower permeability coefficient
of the core material than shell material, seepage discharge through the dam was minimized by
increasing side slopes and top breadth. As the upstream slope of the core increases, seepage
discharge similarly decreases for slanting core cases. (Ibrahim, Aziz and Hamadamin, 2023).

2.3 Impact of core anisotropy and Dam height

Using Geo Studio software, a 2D finite element seepage analysis was done to examine the
seepage behavior through the body of an earth fill dam with various core shapes. An earth fill
dam model with various heights and three different core types—vertical, inclined, and diaphragm
—is taken into consideration to study anisotropy of the inner core material. The maximum
hydraulic gradient and seepage flow are directly impacted by the dam's height. Increasing the

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anisotropy ratio of the core material also increases seepage discharge through the dam body and
the core's phreatic level rises. By raising the foundation material's anisotropy ratio, seepage
increase in foundation discharge and maximum hydraulic gradient. However, it had little impact
on the dam body's seepage characteristics. Additionally, due to a cutoff wall in the foundation the
maximum hydraulic gradient at the dam is increased is the point where the cutoff wall and core
meet (Zahedi, Farshbaf Aghajani and Farshbaf, 2018).

The effect of anisotropy (kx/ky) with a horizontal drain on seepage was studied. The results
showed that the provision of a filter near the upstream slope increases seepage losses. If the filter
is located away from the upstream face and near the downstream toe, seepage is reduced and the
saturated zone is increased, resulting in a reduction of the dry zone (Salmasi and Mansuri, 2014).

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 CHAPTER 3
ZONING FOR SLOPE STABILITY

3.1 General

Hydraulic fracturing is one of the most significant risks to earth dams that might result in internal
failure over time. Differential settlement for zonal dams may result from variances in the
stiffness of the core and its abutment zone. The arching phenomena is caused by this element.
Cracks in the subsurface of the core might result from different settlements between the core and
shell. The dam core may erode internally as a result of those fissures
(Hydraulic Structures, Fourth Edition, 2014)
.

3.2 Slope Stability

In zoned embankment dams, creating resistance to flow of water through the dam is the task of
the dam core commonly. Conversely, fine materials have low shear strength and would
significantly lessen the dam stability against slope sliding. Using thick clay core would be great
against seepage and internal erosion, but would detrimental towards slope stability
(Farzampour, 2014)
.

The zoned embankment must be safe accommodating an appreciable degree of slope stability,
the slopes of the embankment must be stable during construction and under all reservoir
operation conditions, and the upstream slope must be protected against erosion by wave action,
while the crest and downstream slope must be protected against erosion due to wind and rain
(Temtime et al., 2022).

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3.3 Overall Dam stability
One of the most important dangers that affect earth dams and can lead to interior failure over a
prolonged period is hydraulic fracturing. For zoned dams, differences in stiffness of the core and
its abutment zone can cause differential settlement. This factor is responsible for the arching
phenomenon. Differential settlements between the core and shell can cause cracks within the
core sub-surface. Those cracks may develop into internal erosion of the dam core
(Hydraulic Structures, Fourth Edition, 2014)
.

The effects of different cutoff wall locations with different angles under a dam and their effect on
uplift pressure for the dam stability was studied. That study showed that an inclined cutoff
reduces the uplift pressure more than a vertical cutoff wall (Mansuri, Salmasi and Oghati, 2014).

A group of researchers carried out a three-dimensional analysis of seepage under hydraulic

structures with intermediate filters. They introduced an intermediate filter on the floor of a
hydraulic structure that reduced the uplift pressure by 72% in the downstream area. The
maximum reduction occurs when the ratio of the downstream filter distance from the grout
curtain to the variation of water head is equal to 1. The introduction of an additional filter
reduced the hydraulic gradient and uplift pressure by 90%, hence, increases the overall stability
of the dam (Ashraf, Shane and Harold, 2015).

It was studied the seepage for earth dams with SEEP/W and SEEP-3D software. The hydraulic
gradient was obtained for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations and was
found to be equal to 0.5, which is less than the critical gradient (Soleimani and Mortazavi, 2015).

The optimal location for vertical drains in gravity dams was investigated by researchers. The
results of that study showed that the use of a drain was generally capable of reducing the uplift
forces beneath the floor of the structure. However, if the drain is located close to the upstream
face of the dam, it may not be effective in reducing the uplift (Nourani et al., 2017).

Relief wells was used at downstream of embankment dams to reduce uplift forces. These wells
collect the seeped water below the dam foundation and thus prevent the formation of excess pore
water pressure. This helps to stop the piping phenomena at the toe of a dam
(Salmasi, Mansuri and Raoufi, 2015)
. Some researchers have used upstream semi-impervious blankets to reduce
uplift force and seepage discharge (Salmasi et al., 2020) . The blanket is usually made from

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compacted clay and it increases the creep length (seepage path). This results in greater energy
loss compared to the case without blankets upstream of the hydraulic structure.

In another research, the performance of horizontal drains in increasing slope stability was
studied. Results indicated that increasing the length, thickness, and number of horizontal drains
can increase slope stability during the heavy rainfalls. Determination of sliding and stability for
finite slopes with the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) was conducted. In that study, two
scenarios were considered: (i) a slope with dry conditions, and (ii) a steady-state saturated
condition that comprises water level drawdown. A comparison of the plane and circular failure
surfaces showed that the plane failure method produced good results only for near-vertical slopes
(Salmasi, Pradhan and Nourani, 2019).

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 CHAPATER 4
FINDINGS

From the review study, emphasizing on the seepage control and stability enhancement through
different embankment dam element, the overall findings are as follows:

 Wedge-shaped inner core of the dam was found to be the most effective in reducing
seepage quantity.
 Slope of the core has minimum effect on the quantity of seepage discharge and the ratio
of upstream water level to the phreatic line level.
 Reducing core to shell permeability ratio increase safety against seepage impacts.
 Keeping the core area same, vertical core has lesser seepage discharge compared to the
slanting core, though slanting cores enhances downstream stability.
 With an increasing ration of core anisotropy, seepage discharge increases as well as
phreatic line level of the core rises.
 Using thick clay core would be great against seepage and internal erosion, but would
detrimental towards slope stability due to the settlement and low shear strength issues of
the clay core.
 Location horizontal drains or filter away from the upstream zone and near to the toe of
the dam decreases seepage quantity but increases saturated area of the dam body,
considering anisotropy.
 The upstream slope must be protected against erosion by wave action, whilst the crest
and downstream slope must be protected against erosion due to wind and rain.
 For zoned embankment dams, differences in stiffness of the core and its abutment zone
can cause differential settlement and may lead to soil arching, followed by internal
erosion of dam core resulted by the induced cracks.
 An inclined cutoff wall reduces the uplift pressure more than a vertical cutoff wall
which enhances stability of the dam.

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  Use of a drain reduces the uplift forces beneath the floor of the structure. Yet, if the drain
is located close to the upstream face of the dam, it may not be effective in reducing the
uplift pressure.
 Relief wells successfully reduces uplift pressure, resulting in preventing excess pore
water pressure development and piping phenomena at the dam toe.
 Semi-impervious compacted clay blanket may be used at upstream to reduce seepage
discharge and increase creep length for better stability.
 Increasing the length, thickness and number of horizontal drains increases the slope
stability during heavy rainfalls.

The findings are summarized in the table below:

Table 4.1: Significant findings on the effects of core geometry for seepage control in zoned
embankment dam
Geometry Case Reference
Core width 7 meters increment Seepage reduction % (Ibrahim, Aziz and
(max.): 39.44 Hamadamin, 2023)
Core slope Vertical Seepage reduction %
(max.): 57.00
Inclined Seepage reduction %
(max.):
-31.52
Core shape Vertical Lower phreatic line (Abdel-Kawy,
level than without Aboulatta and El-
core case Molla, 2021)
Wedge-shaped Lowest phreatic line
level

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 CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION

Prior to the construction of earth dams, a zoning study of the materials used for the various
embankment dam components, such as the core, upstream/downstream shells, filters, drains,
transitions, protections, etc., is necessary to ascertain their availability and location in areas close
to the dam sites.

By having a zoned dam body, embankment dams can utilize locally available resources more
effectively. The upstream and downstream shells are constructed utilizing the most durable,
heavy, and permeable materials, as opposed to the core, which is formed of the normally
impervious materials, and the layers of filters, drains, and transitions, which are made of the
predominantly granular materials. Prior to the construction of earth dams, a zoning study of the
materials used for the various embankment dam components, such as the core,
upstream/downstream shells, filters, drains, transitions, protections, etc., is necessary to ascertain
their availability and location in areas close to the dam sites.

By having a zoned dam body, embankment dams can utilize locally available resources more
effectively. The upstream and downstream shells are constructed utilizing the most durable,
heavy, and permeable materials, as opposed to the core, which is formed of the normally
impervious materials, and the layers of filters, drains, and transitions, which are made of the
predominantly granular materials. On most dam sites, there aren't enough low-permeability
material volumes to suit the dam core's construction needs.

The qualities of the soil differ at the dam sites, making it difficult to characterize. These materials
contain particles of various sizes and exhibit a wide range of permeabilities, granulometry, and
distribution. In these conditions, it is unlikely that these heterogeneous materials could be used
safely for the dam core construction. Transporting materials with limited permeability would be
economically unviable and lead to an unsustainable construction project. Materials with low
available permeabilities could be strategically positioned to zone the dam core in order to
increase dam safety.

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on seepage through earth dams’, Water Practice and Technology, 16(4), pp. 1248–1264.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2021.053.

Ashraf, A., Shane, M. and Harold, J. (2015) ‘3D Analysis of Seepage under Hydraulic Structures
with Intermediate Filters’, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 141(1), p. 06014019. Available at:
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Farzampour, A. (2014) ‘Optimum Size for Clay Core of Alavian Earth Dam by Numerical
Simulation’, Iranica Journal of energy and environment, 5(3). Available at:
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Mansuri, B., Salmasi, F. and Oghati, B. (2014) ‘Effect of Location and Angle of Cutoff Wall on
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in Gravity Dams’, Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 35(2), pp. 799–808. Available at:
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Salmasi, F. et al. (2020) ‘Effect of Inclined Clay Core on Embankment Dam Seepage and
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Salmasi, F., Mansuri, B. and Raoufi (2015) ‘Use of Numerical Simulation to Measure the Effect
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Specifications On the Seepage Behavior of an Earthfill Dam Soft-computing modelling in
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