Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model
With the majority of the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)-sponsored earthen dams exceeding their planned service life, seepage is a concern since it is a common failure mechanism among earthen dams as a whole. Seepage occurs when water penetr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1423 |
| _version_ | 1797436238727217152 |
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| author | Jarrett Wise Sherry Hunt Mohammed Al Dushaishi |
| author_facet | Jarrett Wise Sherry Hunt Mohammed Al Dushaishi |
| author_sort | Jarrett Wise |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the majority of the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)-sponsored earthen dams exceeding their planned service life, seepage is a concern since it is a common failure mechanism among earthen dams as a whole. Seepage occurs when water penetrates a hydraulic barrier to create open pathways, channels, or piping leading to internal erosion or stability issues due to increased effective stress. Due to the complex geometries of these hydraulic structures, time-dependent boundary conditions, and complicated failure analyses, numerical approaches have been used to estimate seepage. However, the existing numerical models are either computationally expensive or assume steady-state conditions. This work develops the framework for using a transient thermal finite element analysis (FEA) model as an analogy to predict transient seepage. The FEA model is compared to a transient analytical model to verify the approach. A sensitivity analysis of the FEA model shows that the time aspect of seepage flow is dependent on the medium, i.e., soil, and not on the fluid properties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:58:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f25c97de33f244aca235fd5a17bca72d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:58:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-f25c97de33f244aca235fd5a17bca72d2023-12-01T01:26:48ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-04-01157142310.3390/w15071423Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element ModelJarrett Wise0Sherry Hunt1Mohammed Al Dushaishi2USDA-ARS, Stillwater, OK 74075, USAUSDA-ARS, Stillwater, OK 74075, USAPetroleum Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74075, USAWith the majority of the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)-sponsored earthen dams exceeding their planned service life, seepage is a concern since it is a common failure mechanism among earthen dams as a whole. Seepage occurs when water penetrates a hydraulic barrier to create open pathways, channels, or piping leading to internal erosion or stability issues due to increased effective stress. Due to the complex geometries of these hydraulic structures, time-dependent boundary conditions, and complicated failure analyses, numerical approaches have been used to estimate seepage. However, the existing numerical models are either computationally expensive or assume steady-state conditions. This work develops the framework for using a transient thermal finite element analysis (FEA) model as an analogy to predict transient seepage. The FEA model is compared to a transient analytical model to verify the approach. A sensitivity analysis of the FEA model shows that the time aspect of seepage flow is dependent on the medium, i.e., soil, and not on the fluid properties.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1423seepageearth damDarcy flowfinite element |
| spellingShingle | Jarrett Wise Sherry Hunt Mohammed Al Dushaishi Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model Water seepage earth dam Darcy flow finite element |
| title | Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model |
| title_full | Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model |
| title_fullStr | Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model |
| title_short | Prediction of Earth Dam Seepage Using a Transient Thermal Finite Element Model |
| title_sort | prediction of earth dam seepage using a transient thermal finite element model |
| topic | seepage earth dam Darcy flow finite element |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1423 |
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