Hydraulic piping—theoretical and experimental findings

Abstract

The safety factor for piping by heave was conceived as a minimum criterion (probably in 1929 by Baumgart and Davidenkoff, certainly in 1943 by Terzaghi). The minimum condition of the criterion is frequently omitted. This paper gives the relation of the criterion to first principles and indicates solutions for the piece-wise homogeneous and linear inhomogeneous soil. Theoretical and experimental evidence shows that the omission of the minimum condition yields upper bound estimates for the safety factor and is equivalent to assuming homogeneity. It is concluded that in general the assumption of homogeneity is significantly on the unsafe side.

Non-dimensional formulization of the critical hydraulic head difference for seepage failure of soil in front of sheet piles

“…The head difference H = H c at which the condition F s min = 1.0 is applied is defined as the critical hydraulic head difference. This approach is based on the minimum criterion by Kälin (1977). The prism with a value of F s min = 1.0 among all of the prisms for H = H c is defined as the critical prism.…”

Observations on the Geomorphic Significance of Tunnel Erosion in a Semi-Arid Ephemeral Drainage System

“…They can form in homogeneous materials due to steep hydraulic gradients close to cutbanks. This is true piping (Kalin, 1977), which is often involved in the failure of earth-fill dams. Most subsurface erosion channels do not originate in this way, but result from enlargement of preexisting cavities such as desiccation cracks or root channels.…”

Suffusion: Terminology and Phenomenology

“…В англоязычных странах специалисты используют много разных терминов для обозначения отдельных разновидностей фильтрационного разрушение пород восходящим потоком. При этом роль обобщающего понятия, судя по всему, играет словосочетание «piping by heave» [19].…”