Scribd
Upload
1 views5 pages

A Flow net

A Flow Net is a graphical representation of water flow through soil, consisting of flow lines and equipotential lines that illustrate hydraulic energy dissipation. Key properties include orthogonal intersections of lines, non-crossing lines, and consistent seepage quantities across channels. Flow Nets are used to analyze seepage parameters such as rate of seepage loss, seepage pressure, uplift pressure, and exit gradient, and are constructed based on specific boundary conditions.

Uploaded by

abdulkareemsulaimonabiola4
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1 views5 pages

A Flow net

A Flow Net is a graphical representation of water flow through soil, consisting of flow lines and equipotential lines that illustrate hydraulic energy dissipation. Key properties include orthogonal intersections of lines, non-crossing lines, and consistent seepage quantities across channels. Flow Nets are used to analyze seepage parameters such as rate of seepage loss, seepage pressure, uplift pressure, and exit gradient, and are constructed based on specific boundary conditions.

Uploaded by

abdulkareemsulaimonabiola4
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Flow Net

A Flow net is a graphical representation of flow of water through a soil mass. It is a


graphical representation of how the hydraulic energy is dissipated as water flows
through a pervious medium. It is a curvilinear net formed by the combination of flow
lines and equipotential lines.

Flow lines represent the path of flow along which the water will seep through the soil.
Equipotential lines are formed by connecting the points of equal total head.

Fig 1: Flow Net

Properties of Flow Net


Properties of flow net are as follows:

 The angle of intersection between each flow line and an equipotential line must be 90 o which
means they should be orthogonal to each other.
 Two flow lines or two equipotential lines can never cross each other.

 Equal quantity of seepage occurs in each flow channel. A flow channel is a space between
two flow lines.
 Head loss is the same between two adjacent potential lines.
 Flow nets are drawn based on the boundary conditions only. They are independent of the
permeability of soil and the head causing flow.
 The space formed between two flow lines and two equipotential lines is called a flow field. It
should be in a square form.
 Either flow lines or equipotential lines are smoothly drawn curves.

Applications of Flow Net


Flow net is useful to determine the following parameters in seepage analysis of soil:

1. Rate of Seepage loss


2. Seepage Pressure
3. Uplift Pressure
4. Exit Gradient
1. Rate of Seepage loss (Q)
Using flow net, the rate of seepage loss or seepage quantity can be determined using the
below expression :

Where,

k = coefficient of permeability

H = Head causing flow

N = Number of flow lines


f

N = Number of Equipotential lines


d

2. Seepage Pressure (P ) s

Seepage pressure at any point is determined by using the below mentioned formula:
Where,

h = Hydraulic potential after “n” potential drops. It can be expressed as :

Where,

3. Uplift Pressure (P ) u

The uplift pressure at any point within the soil mass can be found using the
undermentioned formula. It is also called as hydrostatic pressure.

Where,
4. Exit Gradient (i ) exit

The exit gradient is the hydraulic gradient at the downstream end of flow line where
seepage water from the soil mass joins with free water at the downstream. Exit gradient
can be expressed as :

Where,

The Four Boundary Condition


To construct a flow net, we also need to identify the boundary conditions present for the flow. Boundary
conditions are the restrictions that limit the flow in a certain space or area.

A flow net is unique for a given set of boundary conditions. If the geometry of the flow space changes,
the boundary conditions will be changed and hence the flow net will be changed.
The first boundary condition is the upstream surface, from where the flow starts and if we notice, it is the
first equipotential line of our flow net as at every point on this line the total head is same.

The Second boundary condition is similar and that is the downstream surface, it is the last equipotential
line of our flow net.

The third boundary is the sheet pile. Water molecule cannot cross this sheet, it flows from a point which
is near to the sheet on the upstream and moves vertically downward. and after crossing the sheet pile it
vertically ascends. The sheet pile is also tracing the flow path of the molecule so this boundary, if we
name it ABC, is a flow line.

The Fourth boundary is the bottom most impermeable surface. Water molecules cannot cross it. This line
is also a flow line as the water will flow along this surface from one side to other.

You might also like