ANALYSIS AND ESTIMATION OF SEEPAGE THROUGH HOMOGENOUS EARTH DAM WITHOUT FILTER

Abstract

This investigation concerns to study the quantity of seepage through homogenous earth dam without filter resting on impervious base using computer program SEEP/W (which is a sub-program of Geo-Studio). Using SEEP/W experiments carries out with three different downstream slopes of the dam, three different upstream slopes, three variable downstream head, three different upstream head, three different height of earth dam and three different top width of earth dam. For each run the quantity of seepage have determined. Dimensional analysis was used with helping of the theoretical results to develop an empirical equation in order to determine the quantity of seepage through homogenous earth dam without filter resting on impervious base. Also, Verify the SEEP/W results with an artificial neural network (ANN), and compare with analytical methods. Results show that when compare the suggest equation with artificial neural network (ANN) less than 3% error with SEEP/W results less than 2% error, Dupuit’s solution has more than 20% error and Casagrande’s solution has more than 15% error.