SERMAN, JESSIE F.

CE 264- GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

PROBLEM SET 2
1. Problem 30a, 30b and 30c on page 38 of Harr Groundwater and Seepage. Assumes that
dimensions are in meters and not in feet as used in the original problems.
30. Determine the quantity of seepage and the factor of safety with respect to piping for
each of the flow condition of Fig. 1-28.

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 Problem 1.30a

Result Extracted from

Geostudio
Water
Element Rate
Node (m3/sec)
130 -1.41E-06
135 3.49E-06
140 -5.34E-07
143 5.02E-06
145 1.06E-06
147 -2.75E-06
149 -2.02E-06
151 -7.22E-08
153 9.95E-07
The total amount of seepage, q = 3.564E-05 m3/sec
154 -2.14E-07
For Factor of safety against Piping, F.S Piping = icr/iexit SUM 3.564E-06

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icr = 1.0 (For vertical flow direction-Water Y-Gradient)
From the result iexit = -0.24972718

F.S Piping = icr/iexit = 1.0/0.24972718 = 4.004369889

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Problem 1.30b

Result Extracted from

Geostudio
Element Water Rate
Node (m3/sec)
295 1.14E-05
310 -7.32E-06
325 -4.69E-06
340 -3.46E-06
355 2.39E-06
370 -1.92E-06
385 -1.46E-06
400 1.10E-06
415 -5.26E-07
430 6.09E-08
SUM -4.444749E-06

The total amount of seepage, q = 4.44E-06 m3/sec

For Factor of safety against Piping, F.S Piping = icr/iexit

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icr = 1.0 (For vertical flow direction-Water Y-Gradient)
From the result iexit = -0.35108293

F.S Piping = icr/iexit = 1.0/0.35108293 = 2.848

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Problem 1.30c

Result Extracted from

Geostudio

Water Rate
Element (m3/sec)
Node
317 -1.04E-06
331 5.56E-06
349 2.59E-06
365 -8.73E-06
381 1.56E-06
396 1.20E-06
412 -5.63E-06
427 -4.43E-06
441 -8.50E-07
The total amount of seepage, q = 1.2447E-05 m3/sec 456 -2.36E-06
471 -3.19E-07
For Factor of safety against Piping, F.S Piping = icr/iexit
SUM -1.244717E-05

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icr = 1.0 (For vertical flow direction- Water Y-Gradient)
From the result iexit = -0.066347347

F.S Piping = icr/iexit = 1.0/0.066347347 = 15.07219

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CE 264
 2. Consider the earth dam shown in the attached page. The total height of the dam is 45 ft.
with a crest equal to 5 ft, with an upstream head of 40 ft.

a. Assume that the dam is isotropic with a saturated coefficient of permeability ks=2x10-6
ft/sec, the saturated water content θs=0.355, and residual water content θr=0.11.

b. Assume that the dam is isotropic with the saturated permeability in the vertical direction
equal to 10% the saturated permeability in the horizontal direction.

Assume that the saturated coefficient of permeability in the horizontal direction ks=2x10-
6 ft/sec, the saturated water content θs=0.355, and the residual water content θr=0.11.

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2.a. Determining the quantity of seepage using GeoStudio with SEEP/W Student version.
However due to the 2019 student version geostudio does not have an icon command of Flux
section in determining the seepage on the dam section as specified in the table of seepage
line coordinates. Dupuit’s solution were used as method of calculation to calculate the
quantity of seepage across the dam cross section.

2 2
Coordinates h 1 h 2 ks 2L Seepage, q (ft3/sec)
y/h x/h
2 2
x (L) y (h) ft2 ft2 ft/sec ft q=k(h 1-h 2)/2L

1 -0.75 100 40 1600 0 2.00E-06 200 1.60E-05

0.8 -0.54 108.4 32 1024 0 2.00E-06 216.8 9.45E-06

0.6 -0.25 120 24 576 0 2.00E-06 240 4.80E-06

0.4 -0.01 129.6 16 256 0 2.00E-06 259.2 1.98E-06

0.2 0.14 135.6 8 64 0 2.00E-06 271.2 4.72E-07

0 0.19 137.6 0 0 0 2.00E-06 275.2 0.00E+00

2.b. Determining the quantity of seepage using GeoStudio with SEEP/W Student version.
However due to the 2019 student version geostudio does not have an icon command of Flux
section in determining the seepage on the dam section as specified in the table of seepage
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 line coordinates. Dupuit’s solution were used as method of calculation to calculate the
quantity of seepage across the dam cross section.

2 2
Coordinates h 1 h 2 ks 2L Seepage, q (ft3/sec)
y/h x/h
2 2
x (L) y (h) ft2 ft2 ft/sec ft q=k(h 1-h 2)/2L

1 -0.75 100 40 1600 0 2.00E-06 200 1.60E-05

0.8 -0.1 126 32 1024 0 2.00E-06 252 8.13E-06

0.6 0.41 146.4 24 576 0 2.00E-06 292.8 3.93E-06

0.4 0.77 160.8 16 256 0 2.00E-06 321.6 1.59E-06

0.2 1 170 8 64 0 2.00E-06 340 3.76E-07

0 1 170 0 0 2.00E-06 340 0.00E+00

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