Abstract
Seepage through earth dams is one of the most popular causes for earth dam collapse due to internal granule movement and seepage transfer. In earthen dams, the core plays a vital function in decreasing seepage through the dam body and lowering the phreatic line. In this research, an alternative soil to the clay soil used in the dam core has been proposed by conducting multiple experiments to test the permeability of silty and sandy soil with different additives materials. Then the selected sandy soil model was used to represent the dam experimentally, employing a permeability device to measure the amount of water that seeps through the dam's body and to represent the seepage line. A numerical model was adopted using Geo-Studio software in the branch (SEEP/W) to simulate the experimental model, examined soils with different percentages of additives, and compared the numerical and experimental results to predict the innovation model of soil. It was found that the sandy type (C) soil model has a permeability very close to that of clay soil when using 10% cement kiln dust (CKD) and 5% cement as additives. Furthermore, soil type (C) was calibrated with the core soil of HIMREEN Earth dam, which is clay soil, as well as with the core soil of HADITHA Earth dam, which is composed of dolomite. The comparison between the results of the hypothetical simulated cases and the real cases were revealed a high agreement between the two cases according to the resulted of identical phreatic (seepage) lines and the calculated amount of seepages water from these cases.
Highlights
IntroductionEarthfall dams are mainly the most frequent form of dams because a natural, accessible material can be used in the construction of such dams
The results revealed that the proposed equation (ANN) was with an error less than (3%) and results of SEEP/W was less than (2%) error, Casagrande solution having above the fifteen percentage error and Dupuit's solution having more than 20 percent error. (Irzooki,2016) studied the analysis of leakage through a homogeneous earth dam by the Geo-Studio program by representing three different cases for upstream and downstream slopes, dam height, drainage length, freeboard height, and top width
Laboratory tests and numerical modeling concerned with analyzing the best type of light-textured soils were implemented as alternative soil, as well as defining the best gradation of improved soil particles and the best percentages of additives to assure a minimum amount of seepage water through the dam and the lowest level of the phreatic line
Summary
Earthfall dams are mainly the most frequent form of dams because a natural, accessible material can be used in the construction of such dams. Earthfall dams are basic compacted constructions; depending on body weight, they can endure twisting and sliding (Jansen, et al, 1988). Earth dams are characterized as "homogeneous" or designated as "inclined or central impermeable center" called Zoned earthen dams, zoned earth dams contain an impermeable interior portion known as a core which provides water-resistance to shells on both sides of the core and provides. Zoning is carried out in order to provide security in terms of sufficient strength, seepage control, and cracking and to make use of the cheapest combinations of materials available. When impermeable zones or drainages are added to earth dams, the drainage is regulated, and the amount of water is minimized (Singh, et al, 1995). Excessive moisture through the earth dam could cause piping or internal erosion, resulting in a breakdown
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