Seepage (water leakage) from foundation and body of earth dams Abaqus

Project Overview

In this Abaqus tutorial, the seepage and water leakage from the foundation and body of an earth dam are simulated using the Abaqus software.

The main objective of this simulation is to investigate the water flow, flow velocity, saturation, and pore water pressure within the earth dam and its foundation.

Earth Dam Model

The model consists of several different regions, including the clay core, filter, drain, shell, and foundation.

Each section is assigned different material properties according to its function in the earth dam. The different regions are clearly distinguished in the model to investigate the flow of water through the dam.

Seepage and Water Flow

The seepage behavior of water through the earth dam is investigated during the Abaqus analysis.

The drain plays an important role in controlling the seepage flow. Because the drain has a relatively high permeability coefficient, water reaching the drain can flow through it rapidly.

Flow Velocity

The flow velocity is investigated throughout the model. A relatively high flow velocity can be observed inside the drain because of its higher permeability.

The drain provides a preferential path for the seepage water, allowing the water reaching this region to be discharged rapidly. As a result, the drain helps control the seepage flow through the earth dam.

Effect of the Drain on Water Flow

As you can observe, there is no significant water flow through the body of the earth dam because the drain provides a preferential path for the water flow. Therefore, the water flows through the drain instead of entering the body of the earth dam.

Saturation Contour

The saturation contour is also obtained from the Abaqus simulation.

Saturation indicates the degree to which the soil is filled with water. The contour allows the water-saturated regions within the earth dam and foundation to be identified.

The areas shown in red indicate that water is present in these sections. In fact saturation contour displays the level of water.

Pore Water Pressure

The pore water pressure is another important result obtained from the seepage analysis.

The pore water pressure distribution provides information about the pressure generated by water within the soil and helps evaluate the seepage condition throughout the dam.

Reference

This project has been validated against the results reported in a reference article.

This project is based on the experimental study provided in the reference research paper. The paper is included with the project files and can be used to review the experimental setup, connection details, loading procedure, and reported results.

What You Will Learn

• How to simulate seepage through an earth dam in Abaqus.
• How to model the foundation and body of an earth dam.
• How to define different regions of an earth dam.
• How to model the clay core, filter, drain, shell, and foundation.
• How to define different properties for different sections of the model.
• How to investigate water flow through the dam.
• How to obtain flow velocity contours.
• How to investigate the effect of the drain on seepage flow.
• How to obtain saturation contours.
• How to obtain pore water pressure contours.
• How to evaluate seepage behavior in an earth dam.
• How to validate the Abaqus results against a reference article.

Key Features

• Seepage analysis of an earth dam.
• Water leakage through the foundation and body of the dam.
• Clay core.
• Filter.
• Drain.
• Shell.
• Foundation.
• Different material properties for different sections.
• Flow velocity analysis.
• Saturation contour.
• Pore water pressure contour.
• Effect of the drain on seepage flow.
• Validation against a reference article.
• CAE file.
• INP file.
• Text file containing the code.
• SAT file containing the geometry.
• Reference paper.
• Step-by-step video tutorial.