Abstract
A model is proposed describing continuous flow between saturated and unsaturated soil. The flow is assumed to be two dimensional and under steady state conditions. In the unsaturated zone, the coefficient of permeability is treated as a function of pore-water pressure head. The nonlinear differential equation governing the flow is solved using an iterative finite element scheme. The flow equation for an element is derived using the Galerkin weighed residuals method. Several example problems are solved and compared with flow net solutions. The proposed flow model is superior to traditional models, which consider flow only in the saturated zone. The results show that the zero pressure isobar is not an upper flow boundary. The finite element solution is shown to be relatively insensitive to the function used to express the relationship between the coefficient of permeability and the pore-water pressure head. Key words: saturated–unsaturated, pore-water pressure, head, phreatic line.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
