CE 4231 - Dewatering Techniques - Dr. Rafizul PDF

Welcome and Good Morning
to
Everyone
Geotechnical Engineering-IV
CE 4231
Course Conducted by
Dr. Md. Rafizul Islam

Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Khulna University of Engineering & Technology
Dewatering Techniques
Reference Books:
W.C. Teng, Chapter 5, Page 97

J.E. Bowles (5th edition): Chapter
14, Page 816
B.C. Punmia, Chapter 11, Page 279
27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 2

KUET
Problem Task
Example: 14.5 (JE Bowles) and supplied
sheet (300 problems solve sheet)
Assignment from 300 problems solve sheet

KUET
What is dewatering?
Dewatering or construction dewatering are
terms used to describe the action of removing
groundwater or surface water from a
construction site.
Normally dewatering process is done by
pumping or evaporation and is usually done
before excavation for footings or to lower water
table that might be causing problems during
excavations.

KUET
The removal of excess water from the saturated soil
mass is termed as dewatering or drainage.
Dewatering is a process by which water is removed
from an excavation and/or the water table is lowered
to have a suitable situation for construction of
foundation and to protect any substructure for
water/damp proofing.
In many civil engineering problems such as
excavation for basement, foundation for building,
dams laying sewer lines, the excavations are often
below water table.
Such excavations require lowering of water table
below the bottom of excavation to prevent reveling or
sloughing of the sides and to get dry working
conditions for construction purposes.

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Dewatering Techniques

KUET
What is dewatering?
Dewatering is the process in which the
water is removed from a foundation pit;
1. when it is situated below the ground
water table or
2. when it is surrounded by a cofferdam.

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Dewatering Technique

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Why is dewatering done?
Only understanding the definition of
dewatering is not enough. It is essential
to know the reason as to why it is done.
Some times in some areas, the water table is high.
This causes trouble and discomfort during
construction. The water is pumped out so as to keep
the excavation dry. Excavation has to be kept dry so
that concreting can be done.
Sometimes temporary dewatering may suffice.

Temporary dewatering is draining out the water at the
time of construction and it is then followed by
restoration to its original water level as soon as the
construction is completed.
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Why is dewatering done?
Prior to the design and construction of a given foundation, the
ground water level at the site must be reliably determined.
Drainage is required for increasing the stability of soil by
reducing seepage and pore water pressures and for reducing the
danger of frost action.
Drainage reduces the natural stresses in cohesionless soil and
thereby increases the effective stress and strength.
Dewatering is also essential to lower the water table of a
waterlogged area to make it more suitable for cultivation purposes.
Other problems associated with ground water are drainage of
water behind retaining structures, basement walls, and earth dams
and embankment to prevent build-up of hydrostatic pressure.
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What is permanent dewatering and why it is
done?
Permanent dewatering is removing the

subsurface gravitational water throughout
the life of the structure.
This is done to protect the structure from
moisture and dampness.

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If the ground water is high, some of the
following problems are encountered-
Dewatering the site during
construction
Foundation drainage
Waterproofing or damp proofing

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What are the purposes of dewatering?
When construction is made below the ground
water level, the site must be dewatered for the
following purposes:
1. To provide a suitable working surface at the
bottom of the excavation.
2. To stabilize the banks of the excavation thus
avoiding the hazards of slides and sloughing.
3. To prevent disturbance of the soil at the
bottom of the excavation caused by boiling/
piping. Such disturbance may reduce the
bearing power of the soil.
KUET
Need for groundwater control
Proper control of groundwater can greatly facilitate
construction of sub-surface structures founded in, or
underlain by, pervious soil strata below water table by:
1. Intercepting seepage that would otherwise emerge
from the slopes or bottom of an excavation.
2. Increasing the stability of excavated slopes and
preventing the loss of material from the slopes or
3. Reducing lateral loads on cofferdams.
4. Improving the excavation and backfill characteristics
of sandy soils.
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Need for groundwater control
Uncontrolled or improperly controlled
groundwater can, by hydrostatic pressure and
seepage, cause piping, heave, or reduce the
stability of excavation slopes or foundation soils
so as to make them unsuitable for supporting the
structure.
For these reasons, subsurface construction
should not be attempted or permitted without
appropriate control of the groundwater and
(subsurface) hydrostatic pressure.

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Risk Assessment of Construction
Dewatering
 Risk assessment can be defined as the
identification and characterization of the
nature of existing and potential adverse effects
to humans and the environment resulting from
dewatering activities employed on site.
 Risk is a function of the probability of an event
occurring and the degree of damage that would
result should it happen.
 To conduct the Risk Assessment the
Applicant/Contractor should undertake the
following key steps:

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1. Information gathering
A risk assessment requires information about
site conditions.
2. Risk identification
Hazard identification involves the
identification of risks/hazards that could lead
to an adverse effect on the receiving
environment and/or health & safety.
3. Risk analysis
Risk analysis considers the likelihood of the
risk being realized.
4. Consequence analysis
Consequence analysis determines the effect on
the environment and health & safety should a
risk be realized.
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Risks generally associated with dewatering activities
onsite include but not limited to the following:
1. Soil and slope stability and soil erosion due to
dewatering activities.
2. Change of groundwater properties due to
dewatering practices.
3. Excessive abstraction (dewatering) of
groundwater which affects nearby groundwater
related activities.
4. Health and safety related issues.
5. Risks associated with failure of
dewatering system and/or disposal
methods.

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6. Risks associated with impacts of
dewatering activities on surrounding
environment and sensitive receptors.
7. Soil contamination. Whether contamination
exists in the project area prior to
commencement of construction or is caused
by dewatering activities.
 It is important to note that risks are site
specific and depend on the intent of the
Contractor.
 The Contractor is responsible for
developing, implementing and managing
the risk management system in terms of
dewatering activities and otherwise onsite.
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What are the depending factors of the
success of dewatering?
The success of dewatering depends on:

Proper selection of dewatering methods.
Constant supervision during the
operation.

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What are the depending factors of the amount
of water to be dewatered?
The amount of water to be dewatered depends on-
Height of water level.
 The permeability of the soil below the water level.

 Size of the area to be dewatered.
Extensive dewatering is necessary for deep
excavation in permeable soils (sand, gravel etc)
whereas little dewatering is required for shallow
excavations or excavations in impervious soils
(clays).
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Dewatering Precautions
Dewatering activities must be done properly to avoid eroding the
soil on the construction site.
It is also important to choose the best location for discharge,
even when you might be far away from water bodies or catch
basins.
There are multiple dewatering products that can be used to
remove sediment from the pumped water, such as dewatering
bags.
When choosing discharge areas from a dewatering process
remember that:
1. Water should not be pumped directly into slopes.
2. Dewatering activities should be directed to a wooded buffer, if
available.
3. Pay special attention and discontinue dewatering if the area
shows signs of instability or erosion.
4. Channels used on dewatering must be stable and better if they
have been protected with grass or vegetation.
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What are the methods of dewatering?
Sump/Pump/Ditches
Well Points
i. Conventional well point
ii. Multi-stage well point
iii. Vacuum well point
Deep well points
Electro-osmosis
Water-jetting
Others

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Sump Dewatering Technique
A sump is just a hole in the ground from which water is
removed from the adjoining area.
An elementary dewatering procedure involves
installation of ditches, French drains, and sumps within
an excavation, from which water entering the excavation
can be pumped.
This method of dewatering generally should not be
considered where the groundwater head must be lowered
more than a few feet, as seepage into the excavation may
impair the stability of excavation slopes or have a
detrimental effect on the integrity of the foundation soils.
Filter blankets or drains may be included in a sump and
ditch system to overcome minor raveling and facilitate
collection of seepage.
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This method is the simplest form of dewatering used
in the shallow, excavating in the coarse grained soils
whose permeability is greater than 10-3 cm/sec.
This method is most commonly used for removal of
surface water but is also useful where the amount of
water to be removed is small.
One sump may be sufficient for a small area, whereas
several sumps with ditches leading to them are
necessary for dewatering a large area.
If the soil is predominantly sand or gravel and if the
excavation exceeds several feet below the ground water
level, the pump sump method may become inadequate
and another method should be used.
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Installation procedure of sump
Drive sheeting around the sump for the full
depth of sump shown in the following Figure.
Install a cage inside the sump. This cage may
be made of wire mesh with internal strutting
or a perforated pipe.
Fill the filler material in space outside the
cage and at the bottom of the cage.
Withdraw the sheeting.
Inspect the quantity of water.
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Installation procedure of sump

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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Sump
Advantages:
Comparatively low cost for a small area.
Disadvantages:
1. Slowness in drainage of the slopes.
2. Potentially wet condition during excavation and
backfilling which may delay construction and
adversely affect the subgrade soil.
3. Space required in the bottom of excavation for
drains, ditches, sumps and pumps.
4. Frequent lack of workmen, who are skilled in the
construction and operations of sumps.
KUET
Key facts/concepts for well point
pumping
In practice usually maximum
effective dewatering depth is about 20
ft below ground surface
Well points typical spaced 2-10 ft
apart around the excavation
Yield flow is between 3 to 30 gal/min
per well point
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Well point Dewatering Technique
A well point is a 2 to 3 inch diameter
pipe 2 to 4 feet long which is
perforated and covered with a
screen.
The lower end of the pipe has a
driving head with water holes for

jetting.

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Installation procedure of Well Point
 The well points are connected to two to three inch
diameter pipes known as riser pipes and are inserted
into the ground by driving or jetting shown in the
following Figure.
 The upper ends of riser pipes lead to header pipe
which is connected to pump.
 The well points are installed with two to five feet
spacing.
 The well points can lower a water level to a maximum
of 18 ft below the center line of the header.
 This type of dewatering system is effective in soils
constituted primarily of sand fraction or other soils
containing seams of such materials.
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In highly pervious soils such as coarse gravels, the
spacing required to handle the water may be so small
that well points become impracticable.
Under ideal conditions and using special high vacuum
equipment, the depth of lowering has been increased
to as much as 25 ft.
For lowering water level to a greater depth, the
multiple stage system of well points must be used
which employs two or more tiers of well points.
Under average conditions, any number of stages can
be used, each stage lowering the water level about 15
ft.
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Two Stage Well Point
However, multiple stage system
requires additional footage of header
pipes and additional pumps.
Therefore, for dewatering a large head
of water, other methods should be
considered.
The selection of dewatering
method should be made on the
basis of total cost including initial
cost and the cost of operation
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Installation procedure of Two Stage
Well Point

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Well Point
Advantages of well point:

Less wet condition
Disadvantages of well point:
•Need wider space.

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•Installation procedure: Deep Well Points:
In install a deep well pump, a well of 6 inch to 2 feet
or larger diameter up to the desired depth shown in
the following Figure.
Place deep well turbine, submergible pump or a
water ejector at the bottom of each well.
 Start dewatering of incoming water.
 Such wells are capable of lowering a large head of
water and are spaced at 25 to more than 120 feet apart
depending upon the depth of water to be lowered and
other conditions.
Filter materials should be provided in the well to
prevent loss of fine particles in the adjacent ground
and clogging of the system.
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Deep Well Points:

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Deep Well Point
Advantages:
• Less interference with the excavated area
will be used for construction.
Disadvantages:
•The installation and operation cost high
although it is less expensive than multi

stage well points.

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Electro Osmosis Technique
Key facts/concepts for Electro Osmosis Technique are as follows:
This method is the process of accelerating the flow of water
through a soil by using direct current
Usually space wells at intervals of about 35 ft-then drive
grounding rods between the wells. Attach a negative terminal of
DC voltage at each well and the positive terminal on each
grounding rod.
A voltage of 1.5 to 4 Volts per foot between the well and ground
rod is then applied. This will increase the flow of water to the
well.
The applied voltage should not exceed 12Volt/ft. The typical
current requirements are 15-30 Amps per well. Which is a power
demand of 0.5-2.5KW per well.
Studies have proven this method to be extremely effective for
increasing water flow through fine soil (clay).

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Electro Osmosis Technique
Some soils (silts, clayey silts and silty clay)
sometimes cannot be dewatered by pumping from
wells.
Such soil can be drained by wells with a flow of
direct electrical current through the soils towards
the wells.
Creation of hydraulic gradient by pumping from
the wells with the passage of direct current through
the soil causes the water contained in the voids to
migrate from positive electrode (anode) to negative
electrode (cathode).
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By making a well points the water that
migrates to the cathode be removed by
pumping.
The application of electro-osmosis to
dewatering of soil mass largely developed
by L. Casagrande (1952).
If direct current is passed between two
electrodes into saturated soil mass, the soil
water will travel from the positive electrode
(anode) to the negative electrode (cathode).
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Controls of Ground Water by Electro
Osmosis Technique

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 The cathode is made in the form of a well
point or a metal tube for pumping out the
seeping water.
A steel rod, a pipe or sheet piling of
excavation can serve as the anode.

The arrangement of the electrodes is done
in such away that the natural direction of
flow of water is reversed away from the
excavation, thereby increasing the shear
strength of the soil and stability of the
slope.
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The velocity of flow towards the
cathode can be expressed as follows
Where, ke = electro-osmotic coefficient of permeability, ie=

electric gradient, or the electric potential divided by the distance
between the electrodes.
The electro-osmotic permeability ke varies with
the porosity of soils and the electrolytic and
viscous properties of the fluid, but are
independent of the size of the soil pores (cf.
Darcy's permeability).
Since the range of porosity variations for soils
is not large and the electrolytic properties of
pore water are also relatively constant, ke may
be taken to be roughly independent of the soil
type.
27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE,
KUET
45
What are the factors affecting the selection
of dewatering system?
The method most suitable for dewatering and
excavation depends upon the following factors:
 The location, type, size and depth of the excavation.
 The thickness, stratification and permeability of the
foundation soils below water table into which the
excavation extends or is underlain.
 Potential damage resulting from the failure of the
dewatering system.
 The cost of installation and the operation of the
dewatering system.
KUET
Dewatering and Soil Permeability
The selection of the dewatering method used depends
on the soil permeability which is the ease of water flow
through a soil.
The soil permeability is the a function of grain size.
The appropriate dewatering methods are as follows

KUET
What are the depending factors of the cost
of dewatering?
Cost of dewatering depends-

 Type, size and pumping requirement of
project.
 The type and availability of power.
 Labor requirements.
 Duration of required pumping.

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Summary of Dewatering Techniques

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What are the functions of filter materials?
The main four requirements to be satisfied by filter

material are as follows (USBR earth manual):
1. The filter material should be sufficiently fine and so

graded that the voids of the filter are small enough to
prevent base material particles from penetrating and
clogging.
2. The filter material should be sufficient coarse and
pervious compared to the base material so that the
incoming water is rapidly removed without any
appreciable built up seepage forces within the filter.
KUET
What are the functions of filter materials?
3. The filter material should be coarse enough not to be
carried away through drainage pipe openings. The
drainage pipe should be provided with sufficiently
small openings or perforations, or additional coarser
layer should be used.
4. The filter layer should be sufficiently thick to provide
good distribution of all particles sizes throughout
filter and to be able to carry the seepage discharge.
The filter thickness should ensure an adequate safety
against piping and proper insulation for frost-
susceptible base material, as case may be.

KUET
According to Terzaghi, the filter material should fulfill
the following two criteria:
1. The D15 size of filter material must not be more than
4-5 times D85 size of the base material. This prevents
the foundation material from passing through the
pores of the filter material.
2. The D15 size of filter material must be at least 4-5
times the D15 size of the base material. This keeps the
seepage forces within the filter to permissible small
magnitude. The above criteria may be expressed as:

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The requirements cited above must be satisfied
between any two adjacent layers of the filter. The
criteria given by Terzaghi have been further
modified as follows (USBR design of small
dams)

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The following empirical rules should be used for
selection of the filter materials (crops of
engineer)
•To prevent the movement of particles from the protected soil into or
through the filter material, the following conditions must be satisfied:
•To prevent clogging the pipe with filter material moving through
the perforation or opening, the following conditions must be
satisfied:

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For porous concrete pipes, the following criteria
may be used:

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The requirements cited above must be satisfied
between any two adjacent layers of the filter. The
criteria given by Terzaghi have been further
modified as follows (USBR design of small
dams)

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Quantity of Water to be Dewatered
Q=k(H)*L*Nf/Ne
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Quantity of Water to be Dewatered
L=1 for gravity flow

=0.5 for gravity flow and
=1.0 for artesian flow
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Estimate the quantity that must be pumped
q=k(H2-h2w)/
ln(R/rw)
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Approximate computation for flow quantity to
dewater an excavation

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Bowles
Example 14.5: Estimate the flow quantity to dewater the
excavation shown in Figure 14.14 for gravity well. Other
data are as follows
Nf=10, Ne=2.1

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Figure 14.14: Plan Flow Net
2
1 3
4
10 5
6
9
7
8

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27-Oct-19
Figure E14.5
Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 65
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The quantity of water must be dewatered

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Problem numbers 09, 10, etc,
page 110
from 300 problems solve sheet

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 The figure below shows a
dewatering plan to build the
foundation of an office building
below the water table and without
sheetpile.
 The plan area of the excavation is
400m long by 100m wide.
 The soil has D10 of 0.02mm.
 What size pump do you need
(gpm) with a FS is 2?
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Therefore, for a factor of
safety of 2, use at least a
1200 gallons per minutes or
use two 600 gallons per
minutes pumps.

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 The figure below shows the profile of square
excavation (in plan view) in a layered soil, where
the vertical permeability is 5x10-5 m/sec and the
horizontal permeability is 10 times higher than the
vertical.
 Estimate the dewatering capacity requirements in
m3/hour, to prevent the excavation from flooding.
The value of h is to scale, but may use 10m.

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Solution

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Example 6.5.5 (Jie Han)
 A job site requires an excavation of a rectangular area (220
m × 170 m) to a depth of 15m, as shown in Figure.
 The existing groundwater table is at 5m.
 Below the ground surface is 30-m-thick gravel with a
permeability of 5.0 × 10-5 m∕s, which is underlain by
bedrock.
 The groundwater table should be lowered to 1.5m below the
 Deep wells are used to dewater the site.
 Calculate the total required discharge.
 If 200-mm-diameter deep wells are used, how many deep
wells are required?
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Solution

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Sichardt (1928) suggested the following formula for the
influence radius:

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3. Calculate the total required discharge: Since it is an
unconfined condition, so, the total required discharge

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4 Determine the number of deep wells: The discharge by
each well is

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Assignment on
Exercises 6.32 to 6.36
Jie Han (Chapter 6)
A4 (one side, problems,
solution with neat sketches)
Submission date: 30 October 2019
at 12.30 PM
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Welcome and Good Morning

Dr. Md. Rafizul Islam

W.C. Teng, Chapter 5, Page 97

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 2

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 3

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 4

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 5

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Sometimes temporary dewatering may suffice.

Permanent dewatering is removing the

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 11

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 12

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 15

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 16

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 18

The success of dewatering depends on:

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 20

 The permeability of the soil below the water level.

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 23

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driving head with water holes for

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27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 35

Advantages of well point:

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 36

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 38

although it is less expensive than multi

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 39

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27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 43

excavation can serve as the anode.

Where, ke = electro-osmotic coefficient of permeability, ie=

The appropriate dewatering methods are as follows

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 47

Cost of dewatering depends-

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 48

27-Oct-19 Dr. M. Rafizul, Professor, Dept. of CE, 49

The main four requirements to be satisfied by filter

1. The filter material should be sufficiently fine and so

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L=1 for gravity flow

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