Solving Seepage Problems in Soils using Element Free Galerkin Method

Abstract:Seepage is an important issue in geotechnical engineering projects such as dams, levees, canals, reservoirs, etcetera, and has made researchers and specialists to pay special attention to this problem. Lots of destructions in buildings, towers, dams, tunnels, slopes, and etcetera have been reported in history which, have been caused by liquefaction, ground water movement or other related seepage problems. In this article, seepage in soil-water systems and their related problems are studied using Element Free Galerkin Method (EFGM). For time dependent problems, implied finite difference method is used. A program is also written for both stable and time dependent cases. With estimation of a function and comparing the results with the exact function, the quantity of the errors is calculated and the accuracy of the method is evaluated. Based on this method, various geotechnical engineering problems are solved and analyzed. The results showed that not only is the EFGM more exact and accurate in comparison with other conventional methods but the time and costs for network production is omitted. With variations in boundaries, the application of EFGM is easier than that of Finite Element Method (FEM). Also, the ability of solving seepage problems without any limitation is a preference of EFGM in comparison with other approximate methods.

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