EFFECT OF MUTUAL INTERFERENCE PILES ON SEEPAGE PROPERTIES UNDER HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES

Abstract

The seepage phenomenon (uplift pressure - flow rate - exit gradient of hydraulic structures) is one of the main causes of failure or collapse of hydraulic structures, so it has been reduced using sheet piles under floor of hydraulic structures. In this study, effect of mutual interference piles were studied on seepage phenomenon by using finite elements program ANSYS. The results were verified with the practical results L-SAYED which given a good correlation. It was found that the use of the pile in the upstream reduced the uplift pressures by 8.36%, and the pile in the downstream increased it by 11.66%, the flow rate reduced by 66.8% and exit gradient of the hydraulic structures reduced by 28.28%.