TITLE:
Control of Seepage through Earth Dams Based on Pervious Foundation Using Toe Drainage Systems
AUTHORS:
Magdy M. Aboelela
KEYWORDS:
Earth Dam, Pervious Foundation, Pipe Drainage, Drainage Banquette, Inclined Drainage, Catch Drain, Seepage Discharge
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.8 No.12,
November
10,
2016
ABSTRACT: Many
dangerous effects arise from seepage through earth dams based on pervious layer.
Therefore, the dam embankment must be provided with seepage control measures to
avoid such effects. In the present work, different control methods were used
such as flat slopes, toe drainage systems, and a catch drain in the tail water.
The hydraulic performance of each control measure was evaluated using the
analytical solutions, previously developed, to estimate the seepage quantity (q),
the height of seepage surface (h3), and the
coordinates of the free surface (hx). Study was conducted on a physical
model for a dam embankment having a top width (b) = 10.0 meter, height (Hd)
= 30.0 meter, and slope factor (m) = 1.5. The obtained results were
analyzed and presented in dimensionless charts. Results showed that, the used
control measures possess a great effect on the characteristics of seepage
through earth dams based on pervious foundations. A comparative study was
conducted between the studied toe drainage systems to enable the designers the
better choice for design purposes.