Numerical Analysis Method for Saturated-Unsaturated Seepage Flow in Earth Dams

In this paper, a new computational method with a mathematical model of transient flow in soil masses is proposed for solving the problem of saturated-unsaturated flow in earth dams. The numerical calculation of mathematical equations is derived by using Galerkins finite element method and the implicit backward difference scheme. A simple program is also presented. The above procedure is used to calculate the saturated-unsaturated flow in the Douhe Earth Dam in Tangshan. The parameters are obtained by testing the samples taken from the dam. The result is found to be reasonable and satisfactory indicating that the mathematical model and the solution procedure described above are effective in practice. The model and the procedure are rational and suitable for solving saturated-unsaturated flow problems.