Seepage Under Dams

Abstract

A vertical grout curtain under the core of the dam or closely spaced series of relief wells on the downstream side of the dam may be used to control seepage through sand beds under the aprons of dams. The solutions were investigated for the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River in Egypt by means of conformal mapping and complex function theory. The efficiency of the grout curtain in reducing the exit gradients demonstrates the safety of the Aswan High Dam.