DETERMINATION OF PROBABILITY OF INTERNAL EROSION IN EARTHEN DAM SEEPAGE

Date

2024-1-26

Author

Yanar, Oğulcan

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Piping, caused by internal erosion, is one of the main failure modes of earthen dams. In this study, a probabilistic modeling framework was proposed to determine the reliability of an earthen dam against internal erosion. The uncertainties associated with the mechanisms governing the soil internal erosion were considered to assess the probability of internal erosion and piping failure. To this end, probabilistic seepage analyses were conducted using the finite element method to determine the maximum hydraulic gradient. Then, the critical hydraulic gradient was determined by taking the probabilistic nature of soil parameters into account. The Monte Carlo method was applied for the analyses. The histogram and the probability density function of the critical hydraulic gradient were produced for an existing earthen dam. Then, the probability of exceedance of the critical hydraulic gradient was computed to assess the reliability of the structure. The earthen dam was found to be highly susceptible to internal erosion according to the calculated exceedance probabilities. Model results were further investigated to comment on the probability of internal erosion and piping. Additionally, two alternative designs with seepage control measures were suggested and their performances were evaluated.

Subject Keywords

Earthen Dams, Internal Erosion, Piping, Finite-element Method, Monte Carlo Simulation, Risk Analysis

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/108304

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis