Laboratory Investigation the Effects of sheet pile on Seepage Control and sand ‎boiling through Alluvial Foundation of hydraulic structures

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yasouj University

2 Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yasouj University

3 Assistant Professor of Soil Science, Agricultural College, Yasouj University

Abstract

The sheet piles are used below hydraulic structures to reduce seepage flow rate and hydraulic gradient
at the outlet of such structures rested on permeable foundations. So far, for analysis of seepage flow
under hydraulic structures much research work has been carried out in the form of numerical and
analytical models. Nevertheless, less field and experimental works have been done to investigate boiling
phenomena for evaluating of the numerical models. In the present research, a laboratory apparatus was
built to simulate seepage and its controlling measures under sheet piles. The model consist of a flume
2.2 m long, 0.8 m deep and 0.4 m wide, in which vertical sheet pile were provided by Perspex sheets.
The flume was made of steel frame and Perspex as well as thick glass sheets. The foundation material
was made of clean, fine sand, compacted to a uniform density and covered the bottom 40 cm of flume.
Perspex sheets were employed sheet pile variable depth. The piezometric heads at both downstream
and upstream side of sheet pile were measured using small diameter clear plastic tubes. The effect of
position and depth of the sheet pile on the seepage flow and exit gradient have been demonstrated in
form of dimensionless curves. The results show that the depth of the sheet piles d/D=0.46 with the
maximum upstream water level h/hm=1.0 boiling phenomenon does not occur and the seepage rate and
hydraulic gradient in the area are favorable.

Keywords


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