Influence of Upstream Blanket on Earth Dam Seepage

Authors: Krikar M-Gharrib Noori¹ & Hawkar Hashim Ibrahim² & Ahmed Mohammed Hasan^3
1Koya Technical Institute, EPU, Koya, Iraq
^2&3Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Iraq

Abstract:  Seepage is one of the main causes of earth dam failure. Concerning the failure, the control of seepage is required. In this study, the analyses of seepage problem were performed on Shiwashok earth dam body and its foundation. This study has concentrated on the efficiency of using upstream blanket to reduce seepage discharge and the uplift pressure of Shiwashok earth dam in Kurdistan region of Iraq. To meet the aims of this study, different clay blanket lengths and thicknesses were investigated. Two dimensional simulations of 23m high Shiwashok earth dam were carried out using the numerical analysis SEEP/W software using existing data of the geometrical and mechanical properties of the earth dam and its foundation. The outcomes showed that lengthening the clay blanket and increasing blanket thickness reduced the percentage of seepage amount and uplift pressure at the downstream side of the dam. It can be concluded from the results of the simulations that the optimum blanket length (BL) and the blanket thickness (t) were 80m, and 1m to 1.5m, respectively.

Keywords: Seepage Control, Clay Blanket, Shiwashok Earth Dam, SEEP/W
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doi: 10.23918/eajse.v4i1sip123

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