Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair

Hema J Siriwardane

Abstract

Seepage is one of the most prominent factors in causing slope stability problems. Installation of longitudinal drainage trenches along the face of the slope can be an alternative solution to reduce the seepage.;The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the longitudinal drains in reducing the seepage, by using MODFLOW, a three dimensional finite difference groundwater flow model. The influence of various parameters on the performance of longitudinal drains was investigated. These parameters include the trench spacing (w), seepage depth (h), slope angle (theta), length of slope (L) and soil type (K). Numerical analysis was performed for both laboratory and field conditions under steady state and transient conditions.;The results demonstrate that the longitudinal drainage trenches are very effective in removing the seepage from the soil. Results also show that the transient time is relatively short for the drains to become fully functional.

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