Scribd
Upload
29 views5 pages

Flow Nets

Uploaded by

rreglos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
29 views5 pages

Flow Nets

Uploaded by

rreglos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

TWO-DIMENSIONAL FLUID FLOW

F LOW NETS
Often the flow of water through soil is not in one direction only and it is not
uniform over the entire area perpendicular to the flow. In such cases, groundwater
flow is generally found by use of graphs referred to as flow nets.
A flow net is a combination of flow lines and equipotential lines.
The flow line is a line along which a water particle travels from the upstream to
the downstream side in a permeable soil medium.

The equipotential line is a line along which the potential head is the same at all points.

A flow net must meet the following criteria:


1. Flow lines must intersect equipotential lines at right angles.
2. The quantity of flow through each flow channel is constant.
3. The head loss between each consecutive equipotential line is constant.
4. A flow line cannot intersect another flow line.
5. An equipotential line cannot intersect another equipotential line.
For isotropic soils, the flow of water is
isotropic soils means that soil permeability in all
 Nf  directions are equal
q = kH   w
 Nd 
Where:
k = coefficient of permeability
H = head causing the flow of water
Nf = number of flow channels, a channel being the zone between
adjacent flow lines
Nd = number of equipotential (pressure)drops,a drop being the zone
between adjacent equipotential lines
w = width of structure or soil zone involved, a distance perpendicular
to cross section or perpendicular to the plane of the flow net

For anisotropic soils, the flow of water is

 Nf 
q = H   k x k z w
where  Nd 
kx and kz = coefficients of permeability in x and z directions, respectively
Sheet pile

H1

H2

Flow line

Equipotential
line

Impervious layer
Determination of uplift pressure
at base of dam

H Pressure head drop


H
hP =
Nd
A B
h1 Pressure head at A
h2 h hn
3 h4 h5
h1 = H − hP (1)
Impervious layer Uplift Pressure at A

u A = γ w h1

Pressure head at B

hn = H − hP (n)
Uplift Pressure at B

u B = γ w h8

Uplift Pressure per unit length of dam

A B

uB

Uplift Pressure Diagram


uA
U

U = Area of uplift pressure diagram


(u A + u B )
U= ( L)
2

You might also like