CONTROL OF SEEPAGE

THROUGH EMBANKMENTS
3

N.Karthikeyan, AP/CE
M.Indumathi, AP/CEP

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 1

 CONTENTS: 4

 SEEPAGE.
 EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE.
 METHODS OF SEEPAGE
CONTROL.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 2

 SEEPAGE: 5

• Also known as leakage, leak, oozing or percolation.

• The slow escape of a liquid or gas through porous material or small holes.
• First recorded in 1815-1825.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 3

 SEEPAGE: 6

• Something that seeps or

leaks out.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 4

 EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE: 7

 Water losses in canals

contribute to:
• Water-logging.
• Salinization of valuable
irrigated areas.
• Reduce system
performance.
• Lead to increase in
water withdrawal.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 5

 EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE: 8
 All embankments dams
are subjected to seepage.
 Seepage may be
detrimental to the
stability of structure as a
result of excessive pore
water pressure or by
internal erosion.
 Turbid flow is a
symptom of internal
erosion.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 6

 WATER-LOGGING: 9

 Waterlogging refers to
the saturation of soil
with water.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 7

 SALINITY: 10

 Measure of all the salts

dissolved in water.
 The average
ocean salinity is 35ppt
and the average river
water salinity is 0.5ppt
or less.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 8

 PIPING: 11
 Internal erosion of the
foundation or
embankment caused by
seepage.
 Erosion starts at the
downstream toe and
works back toward the
reservoir.
 The channels or pipes
follow paths of maximum
permeability.
 Time-taking process.
03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 9
 PIPING: 12

Resistance of the embankment or foundation to piping depends on the:

• Plasticity of the soil.
• Gradation.
• Degree of compactness.
• Plastic clays with a plasticity index >15 are most resistant to piping.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 10

 PIPING (CONTROL): 13

Piping can be avoided by lengthening the flow paths of water within

the dam and its foundations.
This decreases the hydraulic gradient of the water flow and hence its
velocity.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 11

 PIPING (INCREASING FLOW-PATHS): 14

 Flow-paths can be increased by:

• Cut-off walls.
• Impermeable cores.
• Impermeable blankets extending upstream from the upstream face.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 12

PIPING (METHODS TO INCREASE FLOW-PATH): 15

 Cut-off walls:
• Mitigate the flow of
groundwater.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 13

PIPING (METHODS TO INCREASE FLOW-PATH): 16

 Impermeable core:
• A zone of low
permeability material in an
embankment dam.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 14

PIPING (METHODS TO INCREASE FLOW-PATH): 17
 Impermeable upstream
blanket:
• An impervious layer
placed on the reservoir
floor upstream of a dam.
• In the case of an
embankment dam, the
blanket may be connected
to the impermeable
element in the dam.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 15

 SEEPAGE CONTROL: 18

Seepage is the continuous movement of water (from u/s to d/s face of

dam).
The upper surface of this stream of percolating water is known as the
phreatic surface.
The phreatic surface should be kept at or below the downstream toe.
The phreatic surface within a dam can be controlled by properly
designed cores or walls.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 16

 INTERNAL DRAIN SYSTEM: 19

 Purpose:
• A homogeneous dam with a height of more than about 6 m to 8 m should
have some type of downstream drain:
1. To reduce the pore water pressures in the d/s portion of the dam
therefore increasing the stability.
2. To control any seepage that exits the d/s portion of the dam (i.e.,
prevents piping).

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 17

 INTERNAL DRAIN SYSTEM: 20

 Effectiveness:
• The effectiveness of the drain in reducing pore pressures depends on its:
1. Location.
2. Extent.
• However, piping is controlled by ensuring that the grading of the
pervious material from which the drain is constructed meets the filter
requirements for the embankment material.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 18

 TOE DRAINS: 21

 The design of a d/s drainage system is controlled by the:

• Height of the dam.
• Cost and availability of permeable material.
• Permeability of the foundation.
 For low dams, a simple toe drain can be used successfully.
For reservoir depths greater than 15 m, most engineers would place a
drainage system further inside the embankment.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 19

 HORIZONTAL DRAINAGE BLANKET: 22

ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:
• Often used for dams of • An earth dam embankment
moderate height. tends to be more pervious in the
• Frequently used over the horizontal direction than in the
downstream one-half or one- vertical.
third of the foundation area.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 20

 CHIMNEY DRAINS: 23

• Prevent horizontal flow along relatively impervious stratified

layers.
• Intercept seepage water before it reaches the downstream slope.
• Useful in reducing pore water pressures.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 21

 DIMENSIONS AND PERMEABILITY OF 24
DRAINS:
• Must be adequate to carry away the anticipated flow with an ample
margin of safety for unexpected leaks.
• If the dam and the foundations are relatively impermeable, then the
expected leakage would be low.
• A drain should be constructed of material with a coefficient of
permeability of at least 10 to 100 times greater than the average
embankment material.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 22

 THIN U/S SLOPING CORE: 25

• In an earth dam with an u/s sloping core of low permeability, the

foundation is assumed to be impermeable and in a steady state.
• For this type of dam the d/s shell must be several hundred times more
permeable than the core.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 23

 PARTIAL CUT-OFFS: 26

• An earth dam constructed without a cut-off on permeable or semi-

permeable foundations of earth or rock may lead to seepage beneath the
dam creating unacceptable uplift pressures and causing instability.

03-04-2020 16CE310 IE / UNIT 5 / N K & M I 24