Seepage through earth dams

The free surface in two-dimensional gravity flow systems is determined by a simple equation in one iterative cycle. The base pressures at the impervious boundaries, as well as the pore-water pressures or total hydraulic heads within the flow medium, can easily be determined after the free surface is located. Two problems are analyzed: vertical dam cores and earth dams or embankments with sloping sides. In both problems Dupuit-Forchheimer assumptions are eliminated. In the second case, the effects of both the upstream and downstream slopes are taken into consideration. Although the two cases are under steady-state conditions, it is believed that the method is promising for solving problems under transient conditions whether the flow system is two-dimensional or radial.