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Go to Editorial ManagerA dam failure results in losses in terms of economy and infrastructure, in addition to the loss of many lives and assets. Inadequate seepage control procedures are typically the cause of seepage failure in earth-fill dams. For an earthen dam to be waterproof and to minimize seepage, non-homogeneous dams with a clay core are one kind of embankment dam used. As water moves through the dam's core, friction causes it to lose a lot of energy. Both vertical and inclined cores can be used in the design and construction of zoned embankment dams. As a result, choosing the proper materials and dimensions for the earth dam's core is critical. The main objective of this study is to investigate different seepage control strategies for an earth dam (HORAN DAM) using the Finite Element Method (FEM). We modeled and analyzed nine cases of various seepage control techniques that have been modeled and analyzed using SEEP/W, a FEM-based software. The modeling results show using chimney filters reduces pore water pressure more effectively than using toe rock and horizontal filters. Regarding seepage, trapezoidal cores perform better than inclined cores, and the milder slope is preferred over steeper core slopes. The results show when the core permeability decreases, the seepage quantity also decreases. Toe rock decreases seepage more than horizontal filters and chimney filters. Additionally, it has been shown that using a toe rock filter together with a trapezoidal core with a mild slope performs better than using a different filter and a different internal clay core shape.
Water seepage can cause serious problems in geotechnical engineering especially for construction under the water level. Baghdad metro tunnel is one of the leading vital projects to solve the major problem of crowding roadways in a highly population increase city like Baghdad. In this study, the seepage rate that will flow toward different selected points along the tunnel section across Tigris River was calculated during the excavation process, with the consideration of three different water levels of River at maximum, moderate, and minimum water depths. A three-dimensional model of the study has been modeled using the finite element software (PLAXIS 3D V20). The water seepage was observed for six different locations on each route of the tunnel. The study showed that the change of water depth in the river has no significant effect on the seepage – time curve shape. However, increasing the water level in River from minimum to maximum leads to increase the seepage rate about 15%.
The hydraulic characteristics of dams can be predicted with high precision and reliability of physical and numerical models depending on accurate hydraulic data. The model is operated and simulated to get a more efficient, optimized utilization of the dam. This research included a comprehensive overview and literature examination of the Makhool Dam which is considered one of the most important dams under construction in Iraq. Previous studies of the dam focused on different topics in the operation of the dam and analyses of its properties, part of which focused on the dam ability to manage flood and how it works best with other dams in critical times, and another part studied the properties of the stilling basin, velocity in the dam reservoir, pressure, seepage and other characteristics that affect the operating the dam. Despite this research and the variety of topics discussed, there is no well-established research on the operation of the bottom and emergency spillway of the dam by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software. CFD is considered an essential tech because it has an important influence in determining the hydraulic properties of a spillway and studying its effectiveness under different operating conditions. Because the spillway is an important element in the dam body, the research highlighted the necessity of performing a simulation using appropriate CFD software for this part. This research has also reviewed previous research on CFD software and their ability to simulate previously constructed or under-construction dams to analysis of its hydraulic properties.