Year
2001
Degree Name
Master of Engineering (Hons.)
Department
Faculty of Engineering
Recommended Citation
Radampola, Senanie Sujeewa, Geohydraulic aspects of dam filters, Master of Engineering (Hons.) thesis, Faculty of Engineering, University of Wollongong, 2001. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/2536
Abstract
In an earth dam, stored water will always try to escape by creating and developing channels of its own, using water load and flow through any available weak point; picking up whatever soil particles it can, resulting in its failure and catastrophe. To overcome this natural phenomenon, a core (base) of low permeability is located within the dam together with a downstream filter to capture any eroded particles from the core. This study investigates the geo-hydraulic parameters that affect soil filtration at the interface of core and filters of granular materials through an analytical model, which can predict the effective filter thickness necessary to arrest dam failures. Laboratory experiments and their dimensional analysis were conducted to arrive at a relationship between the effective filter thickness and the geo-hydraulic parameters. The parameters considered in this study were:
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.