Seepage Deformation Research Articles

Resistance of rock fill to seepage

1. In the presence of an ascending turbulent seepage in fill, the forces acting on the spheres of the upper and lower rows of fill are different as a consequence of a change of momentum within the upper row. In this case this difference is practically nonexistent under conditions of maximum porosity (n=0.476). In the presence of minimum porosity (n=0.259) the force acting on the upper spheres is about 10% greater than on the lower ones. 2. The values of all coefticients in Eps. (5) and (6) were determined by two independent methods in order to calculate the force acting on the spheres of the upper and lower rows. The dynamic, role of hydraulic friction was negligible in the presence of turbulent seepage. 3. Calculations by Eps. (1) and (2), confirmed by experimental data, established that the elements of the upper layer are less stable than the elements of the lower layers, which determines the character of seepage deformation of the fill under the indicated conditions.