Towards Solutions of Seepage Problems

Flow rates are traditionally used for solving seepage problems in soils. In this paper, the method of fragments is presented as a good alternative for solving seepage problems. A user friendly and interactive computer program for the method of fragments has been developed. Several randomly selected problems are solved by the flow net method, the method of fragments and the finite difference method. It was found that the method of fragments and the finite difference method gave very close predictions of the quantity of flow, exit gradient and uplift force. Furthermore, the effects of different positions and lengths, and number of sheet piles, and upstream blankets on the values of quantity of flow, exit gradient and uplift force are examined