Control of Seepage in Earth Dams with a Vertical Drain

The flow of water through dams and their foundations, and the accompanying pressures and gradients that exist have long been recognized by engineers as important factors in dam design. And one of the major problems encountered when designing earth dams is the choice and design of systems of drainage that are able to protect the dams from undesirable effects. Although the existence of a number of satisfactory drainage systems allowed the construction of many projects, the lack of control of seepage flow and the position of saturation curve in the drain may threaten the security of these constructions and render them uneconomical. The paper presented herein reports the results obtained from the experimental study of a homogeneous earth dam. Relations have been obtained which can be a help in the control of the quantity of discharge in the vertical drain, which permits a better management of earth dams.