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Flow Net

The document discusses the flow net method used to analyze water flow beneath structures like dams and walls, emphasizing the importance of understanding seepage to prevent structural failure. It explains the components of a flow net, including flow lines and equipotential lines, and provides worked examples to calculate seepage and pore pressure. The examples illustrate the application of the flow net method in determining seepage rates and safety factors against piping.

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Youven Duraisamy
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117 views4 pages

Flow Net

The document discusses the flow net method used to analyze water flow beneath structures like dams and walls, emphasizing the importance of understanding seepage to prevent structural failure. It explains the components of a flow net, including flow lines and equipotential lines, and provides worked examples to calculate seepage and pore pressure. The examples illustrate the application of the flow net method in determining seepage rates and safety factors against piping.

Uploaded by

Youven Duraisamy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

3.

3 Flow Net
For structures such as dam or wall which is not founded on impermeable rock, water flow
below the structure will occur is there exist pressure head difference. If this leakage (underneath
water flow) is significant, it may cause failure to the structure. Study about water flow below
a structure can be made by using the flow net method. The flow net method is a graphical
solution for solving two-dimensional La Place equation.
Flow net is a representation of water flow channels through a media drawn to scale.
It consists of flow lines and equipotential lines as shown in Figure 3.4.

Fig. 3.4 Example of a flow net

Flow line shows flow channels through soil. The number of the flow line is infinite and should
not overlap one another. A number of flow lines are drawn and each of them is parallel to the
adjacent (nearest) flow line.
Equipotential lines are lines that connect points of the same pressure head on a flow
line. The number of equipotential line is also infinite, but for presentation, only a few is drawn.
Surfaces that allow inflow and outflow are considered as equipotential lines. Water
flowing along a channel has maximum hydraulic gradient, h/l. If the difference in pressure head
between the equipotential lines is constant, then to obtain maximum hydraulic gradient, flow
line must meet the equipotential line at a right angle. Thereby flow net comprises of a series of
squares form by the intersection of the flow lines and equipotential lines.

Worked Examples

Problem 3.7

A cohesive soil of 12 m has permeability, k, of 4.0 x 10-6 m/s. A sheet pile is to be installed to
depth of 6 m into soil layer. This wall is to retain 4.5 m of water at its upstream. Draw the flow
net and estimate the quantity of seepage through the soil.
Fig.3.5. Problem 3.7

What is the value of pore pressure at the wall toe, and what is factor of safety against piping?

Solution

From the flow net plot in Fig. 3.5,

Nf = 5 Nd = 10  h = 4.5 m

Given k = 4 x 10-6 m/s

Nf
 seepage q = k h
Nd

5
i.e. q = 4 x 10-6 x 4.5  9 x 10 6 m3 / s
10
= 0.78 m3/day per length of the wall.

Pore pressure at the wall toe


4.5
Total head at toe = 4.5 - x 5  2.25m
10

u
Overall head h =  z; at z   6m
g

 u = (2.25 + 6) x 9.81 = 80.9 kN/m2


ic 1
 Factor of safety against piping  
i 0.375
 2.7

Problem 3.8

Draw a flow net for a dam of cross section as shown in Fig. 3.6 below. Estimate seepage Q
through the soil beneath the dam. Determine also the value of water pressure at point A. Width
of dam is 150 m.

Fig. 3.6. Problem 3.8


Solution

Fig. 3.7. Flow net for problem 3.8

From the flow net plot (Fig. 3.7)

Nf = 4
Nd = 11
Seepage, given k = 8 x 10-3 cm/s = 8 x 10-5 m/s
Nf
q = kh
Nd
Nf
Q = q.B = k  h
Nd
4
= 8 x 10-5 (134.2 – 126.1) x   x150
 11 
3
= 0.0353 m /s
= 35.3 liter/s

Pressure head at point A,

 3.5 
h = 134.2 – (134.2 – 126.1)   131.6 m
 11 
Pore pressure,

hp = h – hz = 121.6 – 122.0 = 9.6 m

u = whp = (9.8)(9.6 m) = 94 kPa

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