Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science School of Engineering Civil Engineering Department

Seepage and Uplift Pressure

Hydraulic Structures CE404

http://hyd.uod.ac/

Seepage and Uplift Pressure

A number of methods are available to analysis the problem of seepage and uplift pressures but the most useful and easily adopted are:
1. Flow nets (graphical or experimental). 2. Bligh's Creep Theory. 3. Lane's weighted Creep Theory. 4. Khosla's Method

Flow Nets
In any hydraulic structure on permeable foundations, water flow from a region of high level (high pressure) to the region of low level (low pressure), beneath and around the structure.

High Pressure

Low pressure

Flow Nets

In Fig. (a), a hydraulic structure having an upstream piled cut off wall only, the stream lines are compressed around the toes of the pile. In this case, the uplift pressure underneath the floor varies from 15 to 28% of H.

Flow Nets
In Fig (b) the structure having downstream cutoff wall only, the uplift pressure varies from 70 to 85% of H.

Flow Nets
In Fig. c the structure having upstream and downstream cutoffs the uplift pressure varies from 45 to 55% of H.

Bligh's Creep Theory

According to Blighs theory, water creeps along the bottom contour of the structure.

(CREEP PATH)

Bligh's Creep Theory

The length of the path of water is called the length of creep and the loss of head is proportional to the length of creep.

Bligh's Creep Theory

If HL is the total head loss between upstream and downstream and L is the length of the creep, then the loss of head per unit of creep length (i.e. ) is called the hydraulic gradient. Blighs theory makes no discrimination between horizontal and vertical creeps.

Bligh's Creep Theory

Consider a section as shown in the figure below. Let H be the difference of water levels between upstream and downstream ends (no water is shown in the downstream end). Water starts percolating at A and emerges at B.

Bligh's Creep Theory

Total creep length (L) = 2d 1 + L1 + 2d 2 + L 2 + 2d 3

= ( L1 + L 2 ) + 2 (d 1 + d 2 + d 3 )

Bligh's Creep Theory

Head loss per unit length (hydraulic gradient)

H H = L b + 2 (d 1 + d 2 + d 3 )

(1.1)

Bligh's Creep Theory

Hydraulic gradient drop at upstream cutoff = H H C

2d = H H 1 H L H = 2d 1 L
HE = H ( L 2 + 2d 3 ) L 2d 3 H L H =H 2 +H = ( L 2 ) + ( 2d 3 ) L L L L

Safety against Piping or Undermining

Safety against piping can be ensured by providing sufficient creep length given by

L =C H

where,
C = Blighs coefficient for the soil.

H L =1 C

Safety against Piping or Undermining

Blighs coefficient for different types of soil

No. Type of soil Value of C Safe exit gradient less than 1/15 1/12 1/5 to 1/9 1/8

1 Fine sand 15 2 Coarse grained sand 12 3 Sand mixed with boulders and gravel 5 to 9 4 Light sand and mud 8 Hydraulic gradient H L < 1 C for safety against piping.

Safety against Uplift Pressure

If the uplift head at any point is H1 (meter of water) then uplift head has to be counterbalanced by the weight of floor thickness. Uplift pressure = w H 1 , w = Unit weight of water = g . Downward pressure = ( w G c ) t c w t c , where G c is the specific gravity of the floor material.

Safety against Uplift Pressure

For equilibrium,

w H 1 = ( w G c )t c w t c

H 1 = (G c t c t c ) = t c (G c 1)

Example
Find the hydraulic gradient and uplift pressure at a point 15 m from the upstream end of the floor in the figure below.

Example
Water percolates at point A and emerges at point B, Total creep length = 2 6 + 10 + 2 3 + 20 + 2 8 = 64m Head of water on structure= 6 m Hydraulic gradient =

6 1 = 64 10.66

Example
According to Blighs theory, the structure would be safe on sand mixed with boulders

No.

Type of soil

Value of C

1 Fine sand 15 2 Coarse grained sand 12 3 Sand mixed with boulders and gravel 5 to 9 4 Light sand and mud 8 Hydraulic gradient H L < 1 C for safety against piping.

Safe exit gradient less than 1/15 1/12 1/5 to 1/9 1/8

Example
Creep length up to point C= L 1 = 2 6 + 2 3 + 15 = 33 m

HC =
tc = =

6 ( 64 33 ) = 2.91m 64

HC w H C = Gc 1 w Gc w 2.91 = 2.076 m of concrete 2.4 1

Lanes Weighted Creep Theory

From the analysis of 200 dams all over the world, Lanes concluded that horizontal creep is less effective in reducing uplift than vertical creep. Therefore, he suggested a factor of 1/3 for horizontal creep against 1 for the vertical creep.

Lanes Weighted Creep Theory

For the structure in the figure
L = 2d 1 + = 1 1 L 1 + 2d 2 + L 2 + 2d 3 3 3

1 ( L 1 + L 2 ) + 2 (d 1 + d 2 + d 3 ) 3 b = + 2 (d 1 + d 2 + d 3 ) 3 L = Horizonals 3 + Verticals

Lanes Weighted Creep Theory

L >C H
Hydraulic gradient

H 1 should be less than L C

H 1 < L C
Slopes steeper than 45 are taken as verticals.

Lanes Weighted Creep Theory

Lanes coefficient for different types of soil

Example
Find C for the following structure & the uplift pressure at point A.

The floor thickness t to resist uplift is:

(Pu y) w .. (4) t= ( c w )

Where: Pu = uplift pressure in meters of water. y = depth of water on floor (m) c = density of concrete. w = density of water.
H.W. Consider C = 5, Check if the following structure is safe using Lane's method. If it is safe find the thickness at A.

Khosla's Method
It is used to find uplift pressure at the key points in a barrage or a weir. In this method a composite barrage or weir section is split up into a number of simple standard forms of known analytical solution, these are: a A straight horizontal floor of negligible thickness with a sheet pile at either end.

b A straight horizontal floor depressed below the bed but with no vertical cut off.

c A straight horizontal floor of negligible thickness with sheet pile at some intermediate position.

Ex: find the pressure at the key points for the structure below: Sol.
w.s.

5m
E C

10 m
D

50 m

Ex: find the pressure at the key points for the structure below:

E1 = 100% of H
1

D = 26% of H D1 = 100 26 = 74% of H E = 40% C1 = 100 40 = 60% of H

d 10 = = 0 .2 b 50

Ex: find the pressure at the key points for the structure below: Sol:

d 5 = = = 0 . 25 b 20

= 18% of H D'1 = 100 18 = 82% of H

D'

Ex: Find the pressure percentage for the intermediate pile shown in the figure below:

d 10 = = =4 b 2.5 b1 4 = = 0.4 b 10

C = 42% of H

To find E Read C for the base ratio (1 1 ) for the value of and subtract from 100.
C for (1 1 ) = 0.6 and = 4 = 29% of H E = 100 29 = 71% of H
b b b b

How to find D To get value D for values of

b1 = 0.4 b

b1 less than 0.5. b

Read D (for (1

b1 ) = 0.6 and = 4) = 44.8% of H b

D = 100 44.8 = 55.2% of H

The percentage pressure observed from the curves for the simple form into which the profile has been Brocken up is valid for the profile as a whole if corrected for:-

Correction for interference of piles Cp

Cp = correction in a percentage. b' = the distance between two piles. b = total floor length d = depth of pile on which the effect is to be taken. D = depth of the pile line, the influence of which has to be determined on the neighboring pile of depth of is to be measured bellow the level.

This correction is positive for points in the rear of back water and subtractive for points forward in the direction of flow. Effective of d.s. pile on u.s. pile (+ve). Effective of u.s. pile on d.s. pile (ve).

2 Correction for the floor thickness Ct

The thickness of floor is assumed to be negligible and the pressure is found at point E, C from the curves. The pressure at point E', C' are interpolated by assuming straight line variation.

The correction either to be positive or negative. At point E is negative while it is positive at C.

3 Correction due to slope Cs

CS = bS C b

Slop V: H C 1:1 11.2 bs 1:2 6.5 1:3 4.5 1:4 3.3 b' 1:5 2.8 1:6 2.5 1:7 2.3 1:8 1 The correction being plus for the downstream slope and minus for the upslope following the direction of water.

Example: Determine the correction percentage pressure at the key points.

Solution 1 Upstream Pile b = 57 m d = 150 145 = 5 m

d 5 = = = 0 .087 b 57 D1 = 100 D = 100 18 = 82% of H 1

C = 100 E = 100 27 = 73% of H

2 Intermediate Pile

b1 = 15.5 + 0.75 = 16.25 m b = 57 m d =150 145 = 5 =m

=
d 57 = = 11.4 b 5 b1 16.25 = = 0.285 b 57

b1 For = 11.4 and =0.285; C1=58% of H b b1 For =11.4 and (1 =0.7155); D1=100 D = 100 36 = 64% of H b b1 For =11.4 and (1 =0.7155); E1=100 C = 100 30 = 70% of H b

Correction for E1
t 1 a C t = ( E 1 D1 ) = ( 70 64 ) = 1 .2 % d 5 4 4+ 4 b C p = 19 = 1 .35 % 15 .5 57 E1 corrected = 70 1.2 1.35 = 67.45% of H

Correction at C1 a C t = + ( D1 C 1 ) = ( 64 58 ) = + 1 .2 %
1 5 1 5

b D = 149 141 = 8 m
8 8+ 4 C p = + 19 = + 1 .78 % 40 57 bS 2 c CS = C = * 6 .5 = 0 .325 % b 40 C1 corrected = 58 + 1.2 + 1.78 0.325 = 60.65% of H

3 Downstream Pile

d = b

d = 147 141 = 6 m b = 57 m
6 = = 0 .105 57 1 d For = =0.105, E2 = 29% of H b D2 = 20% of H 1

C2 = 0% of H

147 145 .5 1 .5 a Ct = ( E 2 D 2 ) = ( 29 20 ) = 2 .25 % 6 5 0 .5 4 + 0 .5 b C p = 19 = 0 .18 % 40 57 E2 corrected = 29 2.25 0.18 = 26.57% of H

Correction for E2

E1

D1

C1

E2

D2

C2

96.4

82

76.15 67.45

64

60.65 26.57

20

1.5 Correction for C2= Ct = + (D2 C2 ) 6 1.5 = + (20 0) = +5% Of H 6