ECV 301- Soil Mechanics 1

Lesson 7
Permeability- Ground water flow

Eng. Mwai
 Introduction
• Geotechnical engineers are actively involved in management is
groundwater

- a major source of domestic and industrial water supply

- susceptible to pollution - pollutants transported from other sources
- flow of groundwater is accompanied with forces that, if excessive,
cause instability problems to built infrastructure
- Inflow of water into excavations can complicate construction works

• Geotechnical Engineers required to determine the path which water seeps

through, the velocity of water and the prevailing pore pressures
Derivation of Laplace Equation
Consider a soil element with dimensions Δx, Δy and Δz

Figure 1. Element illustrating groundwater flow components

Let vx, vy and vz b the entry velocity components in x, y and z directions

The corresponding exit velocity components are

[1]
 The amount of water leaving the element per unit time is given by

The amount of water entering is equal to the water leaving the element per
unit time

[2]
 [3]

Since ΔxΔyΔz cannot be zero (volume of soil element), then only the term in
square brackets can be zero. That is

 v x v y v z 
   0
 x y z  [4]
Applying Darcy’s law for the given soil element,

[5]

Where Kx, Ky and Kz are the coefficients of permeability in the x, y and z

directions.

Substituting Eqn. (5 into Eqn. (4):

[6]
 If Kx= Ky = Kz in case of a isotropic and homogenous soil mass, then eqn.
[6] reduces to

 2h  2h  2h
  0 [7]
x 2 y 2 z 2

For a two dimensional flow, Eqn. [7] reduces to

 2h  2h [Gives the rate of change of h

 0 in 2 dimensions]
x 2 y 2
Laplace Equation – governs flow of ground water in a soil skeleton

How to solve this equation?

 Solving Laplace Equation
• Laplace’s equation may be solved graphically using a
technique known as flownet sketching.
• A flownet is a network of flowlines, which represent
the trajectories of individual fluid particles, and
equipotentials (total head or potential is constant and therefore there is
no flow)

• Flow net provide a graphical representation of the flow pattern,

• the flownet may be used to calculate the seepage flowrate and
pore water pressures at any point on the cross-section.
• Flow net constructed by trial and error method to
satisfy the following conditions
no flow along an equipotential, which means
that all of the flow must be at 90° to it.
2. Flowlines cannot cross other flowlines. Two
molecules of water cannot occupy the
same space at the same time, which is what
flowlines crossing each other would
imply.
3. Equipotentials cannot cross other
equipotentials: one point cannot have two
different
values of total head.
4. Impermeable boundaries and lines of
symmetry are flowlines: as there is no flow
across them, all of the flow must be along
them. (Flow across a line of symmetry
would require flowlines from opposite sides to
cross.)
5. Bodies of water such as reservoirs are
equipotentials. (Try imagining standpipe
piezometers inserted at a number of different
locations within a lake: the water level
in all of the standpipes will coincide with the
water level in the lake.)
1. Flowlines cross equipotentials at right-angles. This is because there is

by definition no flow along an equipotential, which means that all of the

flow must be at 90° to it.
2. Flowlines cannot cross other flowlines.
3. Equipotentials cannot cross other equipotentials
4. Impermeable boundaries and lines of symmetry are flowlines: as
there is no flow across them, all of the flow must be along them
5. Bodies of water such as reservoirs are equipotentials.
6. The drop in head between any two consecutive equipotentials is the
same; flowrate through all flowtubes is the same
Examples of Flow Nets
 Critical gradient
Soil can loose strength due to seepage

ic is called critical hydraulic gradient, then

Example