Infiltration analysis of embankment dams using different impermeable materials

Dams are classified according to the material used in their construction. Embankment dams, one of them, are preferred in the world and in our country thanks to their economy, applicability and flexible project criteria. As in all dams, the survey, feasibility, planning and construction phases should be carried out with precision and meticulousness and should be investigated to the smallest detail. One of the most important problems in embankment dams is the defects caused by internal evaluation and piping as a result of leakage. Such defects may develop over time, causing the dam body to weaken or even collapse. In the gaps within the dam body to constant movement of water in reservoir from upstream to downstream of water is called seepage. Of seepages in the embankment dam bodies or the situation caused by internal erosion in the soil is expressed as piping. For these reasons, attention should be paid to infiltration in embankment dams, analytical and numerical techniques applied to the project should be checked and necessary investigations should be taken. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to eliminate the problems that may occur during and after construction. In this thesis, the seepage situation in the embankment dams under the hydrostatic pressure load in the reservoir was investigated by numerical models. For this purpose, SLIDE software, which is a software using finite element method, was used. In the numerical model, the dam body is modeled in two dimensions with the foundation base and the infiltration event is analyzed by solving the basic equations for the whole solution area with the given boundary conditions and material properties. The infiltration properties of Morgedik Dam body selected as the model were analyzed according to some material types that can be used as an alternative to the already used body materials. The best solution was tried to be determined by discussing the result obtained for different situations.