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Design of Hydraulic structure
Lecture 4
Design of floors of hydraulic structure
Design of floors of the Hydraulic structure
All hydraulic structure built on a permeable foundation and crossing a water flow will cause rising of
water head by ponding water at it’s upstream, this will yield seepage flow under the structure and
produce uplift pressure under the foundation of structure .
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Design of floors of the Hydraulic structure
Water seeps under structure causes failure of the structure by:
1. Piping
water seeps under the base of the structure and flow line appear out of the D/S end of the floor. When
the exit gradient of flow line ( G.e) exceed critical limit of the soil. The surface soil start boiling and is
washing out away by percolating water with removed of surface.
Preserving :
• Deepening the depth of U/S and D/S sheet piles.
• Increase the length of floor.
2. Rupture of floor due to uplift pressure
If the uplift pressure under the floor of structure exceeds the weight of floor above it . The floor will fail
by rupture of part of floor.
Preserving :
• Provide sufficient floor length.
• Increase the thickness of floor
• Provide or increase US sheet pile to decrease uplift pressure at mid and DS of floor
Methods of study of seepage and uplift pressure
There are many methods to analyze the seepage and uplift pressure, but the most
useful and easy adopted are :
1- Flow net
2-Bligh’s creep theory
3- Lane’s weighted creep theory
4- khosla’s theory
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Flow net ( graphical or experimental )
The flow net can be used for the following purposes;
1. Determination of discharge through soil
2. Determination of pore water pressure
3. Determination of hydraulic gradient
Flow field Flow Line ψ
∆q
L Flow channel
∆q
Flow channel
b
∆q
Flow channel
Equipotential line ∅
Thickness of floor at any point can be found by ;
= ×
t: thickness of floor
h: head at any point under floor
G: specific gravity of concrete =2.4
Safe exit gradient to not allow piping
∆ℎ
= < = ( − 1)(1 − )
∆
is hydraulic exit gradient at end
=critical exit gradient based on soil material of foundation
G specific gravity of soil particle
n is porosity of soil material
For safety the ( ) kept in range ( 0.25 -0.20 ) of critical exit gradient ( )
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Bligh’s creep theory
There are three assumption in this theory:
1- the subsurface water follows the path along the
length of the floor, the path is called (creep line) and
the length of path is called ( creep length )
A××B C× ×E D××F
2- Kh=Kv horizontal and vertical permeability is equal
3- The average hydraulic gradient H/L is equal to local
hydraulic gradient dh/dl
For given figure :
Total creep length (L)= 2d1+L1+2d2+L2+2d3 =(L1+L2 )+ (2d1+2d2+2d3 )
Head loss per unit length ( hydraulic gradient) = =
(L1+L2 )+ (2d1+2d2+2d3 )
Head loss at point B= x 2d1
Head loss at point E= x( 2d1+L1+2d2)
Safe against piping
Safety against piping can be ensured by providing sufficient creep length given by
= ! =
"
Where C is Bligh’s coefficient for soil as shown in table below
No Type of soil Value of C Safe exit garden less than
1 Fine sand 15 1/15
2 Coarse grained sand 12 1/12
3 Sand mixed with boulder and gavel 5 to 9 1/9 to 1/5
4 Light sand and mud 8 1/8
Hydraulic gradient H/L <1/C for safety against piping
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Safe against uplift pressure
If the head at any point is H1 ( meter of water ) then the uplift head to be balanced by the weight of
floor thickness
Uplift pressure = #$ 1
Downward pressure = #$ % % − #$ % for submerged concrete
Where is unit weight of water (1 ton /m3 ) and Gc is specific gravity of floor material
For equilibrium case
#$ 1= #$ % % − #$ % ----- 1= % % − % = % % −1
Then
% =
% −1
Putting 4/3 safety factor the equation become
4
% = ×
% −1 3
Example : find hydraulic gradient and uplift pressure at a point 15 m from the upstream end of floor
in figure below:
Solution:
Water percolates at point A and exit at point B.
Total creep length =
6m
A B
C
3m
6m
8m
15m
10m 20m
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Lane’s weighted creep theory
On the basis of Lane’s analysis carried out on about 200 dams all over the world, stipulated that the
horizontal creep is less effective in reducing uplift than the vertical creep. He, therefore, suggested
a weightage factor of 1/3 for the horizontal creep, as against 1.0 for the vertical creep.
Total creep length (Lw)= 2d1+ xL1+2d2+ xL2+2d3
(
= x(L1+L2 )+2 x (d1+d2+d3 ) = +2 x (d1+d2+d3 )
• To insure safety against piping Lw must not be less than (CH )
• Hydraulic gradient should be less than
"
Note: for sloped floor; the floor parts steeper than 45o are
Consider as vertical length. Less than 45o consider as horizontal
Lw = weight creep length
C = empirical coefficient depending on nature of the soil
H= seepage pressure head
• Safe against uplift pressure
)
% = ×
*
• Where H1 is head of water at given point
• Gc is specific gravity of floor material
• is safety factor
Type of soil Value of C Safe lane’s hydraulic gradients
Very fine sand or silt 8.5 1/8.5
The lane safe coefficient of Fine sand 7 1/7
Medium sand 6 1/6
different type of soil is given
Coarse sand 5 1/5
in following table Fine gravel 4 1/4
Medium gravel 3.5 1/3.5
Coarse gravel 3 1/3
Boulder gravel 2.5 1/2.5
Soft clay 3 1/3
Medium clay 2 1/2
Hard clay 1.8 1/1.8
Very hard clay 1.6 1/1.6
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Example : find hydraulic gradient and uplift pressure at a point 15 m from the upstream end of floor
in figure below:
Solution:
Water percolates at point A and exit at point B.
6m
A B
C
3m
6m
8m
15m
10m 20m
Khosla’s theory
The main principles of this theory are summarized below:
(a) The seepage water does not creep along the bottom contour of flood as stated by
Bligh, but on the other hand, this water moves along a set of stream-lines. This steady
seepage in a vertical plane for a homogeneous soil can be expressed by Laplacian
equation
(b) The seepage water exerts a force at each point in the direction of flow and tangential
to the streamlines. This force (F) has an upward component from the point where the
streamlines turns upward. For soil grains to remain stable, the upward component of
this force should be counterbalanced by the submerged weight of the soil grain.
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Khosla’s theory Cases
It is used to find uplift at key points in a barrage or weir. In this method a complete hydraulic
structure 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 ends
For US sheet pile :
1- øE1 =100%
2- øD1 =100%- øD ( from curve)
C2
3- øC1 =100%- øE( from curve) E2
For DS sheet Pile
4- øE2 = øE
D2
5- øD2 =øD ( from curve)
6- øC2 =zero
Khosla’s theory Cases
B- A straight horizontal floor depressed
below the bed but with no vertical cut off.
For hydraulic structure with no vertical cut off.
7- øD1‘=100%- øD1 ( from curve)
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Khosla’s Curve
Example: find the pressure at key point for structure below
Solution :
WL
5m
E1 C1
10m
D1 50m
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Example: find the pressure at key point for structure below
Solution :
WL
5m
E2 C2
10m
50m D2
Example: find the pressure at key point for structure below
Solution :
WL
5m
E2
5m
D1’ D’
20m
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Khosla’s theory Cases
c- A straight horizontal floor thickness with a sheet pile at some intermediate position.
( (
1- To find øE for any Value of ∝ base ratio read øC for base ratio 1 for that value of ∝ and
, (
subtract from 100.
(
2- To get øD for value of base ratio less-
(
(
than 0.5 , read øD for base ratio 1
(
And subtract form 100 E3 C3
b1
D3
Khosla’s Curve
• For sheet pile not at end
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Example: find the pressure percentage for intermediate sheet pile shown in fig below
Solution :
WL
5m
E3 C3
d3=2.5m
b1=4m
D3
b=10m
Note: to find pressure head at any point between the key points using khosla’s
theory , interpolation method can be used.
Example; fine the pressure head at point A shown in the figure below :
Solution :
Point A
Head at A 100
70 60 42 18 zero
50
4m
80
8m 12m 10
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Correction on khosla’s theory
The percentages pressure observed from the curve for simple form into which the
profile has been broken up is valid for profile as whole If corrected for :
1. Mutual interference of piles
2. The floor thickness and
3. The slop of floor
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