Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of various sheetpile configurations on the seepage losses, the uplift force on downstream apron of floor, and the exit gradient at the end toe of the apron. A computer program, utilizing the finite element method and based on the fixed mesh approach, was used to locate the free surface of water. The model was applied to investigate seepage below and around a hydraulic structure. Several configurations of the sheetpile driven under the structure were analyzed. Results showed that when the sheetpile confined the downstream apron of the floor from all sides, it has dramatically reduced the exit gradient. In return, this was accompanied by some increase in the uplift pressure force acting on the structure. Other configurations that needed more sheetpile material had little effect on the uplift force and exit gradient.

Highlights

  • Hydraulic structures built over pervious soil strata should be secured against uplift forces acting on the floor of the structure and against the phenomenon of piping

  • The main objective of the current research was to investigate the influence of different sheetpile configurations on seepage losses, the uplift force, and the exit gradient at the end toe of the apron

  • When the sheetpile confined the downstream apron from three sides only as in case 5, it introduced no appreciable change in the exit gradient compared with case 1 the length of the sheetpile used was 3-times more

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Summary

Introduction

Hydraulic structures built over pervious soil strata should be secured against uplift forces acting on the floor of the structure and against the phenomenon of piping For this purpose, design engineers always provide the floor of the structure with one or more sheetpile to reduce the uplift force and exit gradient at the downstream toe of the apron (Cedergren, 1989). Design engineers always provide the floor of the structure with one or more sheetpile to reduce the uplift force and exit gradient at the downstream toe of the apron (Cedergren, 1989) This is because the consequence of piping and erosion, resulted by letting the exit gradient approaches its critical value, can be very severe and may lead to complete failure of the structure (Griffiths and Fenton, 1998). The sheetpile position, SCOUR AND EROSION considered in most of the previous studies, is one or more sheetpile driven beneath the floor of the structure and extends laterally in the out-of-plane direction across the floor width

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