April 2014

Heave, Blowout, and Critical

Gradients
John France

Heave and Blowout

Heave
Blowout
Relationship to Piping

Heave - Definition
Cohesionless Soils Vertical Gradients
Heave Only Only
Occurs when uplift forces on the soil particles equal or
exceed the downward forces (submerged weight of the
particle)
v = 0
Examples: quick sand, sand boils
Both in the lab and field, volume change
(expansion of the sand) can be observed

Heave and Blowout 1

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Heave Calculations
Cohesionless Soils
Only
Critical (vertical) Gradient
Ic = b / w Vertical Gradients
Only
where:
b buoyant unit weight of soil

w unit weight of water

Ic critical (vertical) gradient

Heave Calculations
Cohesionless Soils
Heave Only

FS = Ic / Ie Vertical Gradients
where: Only

Ie = vertical gradient from seepage analysis for new

dams or piezometric data for existing dams.

This is not a factor of safety against the initiation of

internal erosion

Blowout/Uplift - Definition
General
Requires a confining layer

Heave and Blowout 2

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Blowout/Uplift Calculations
Total Stress Method
FS = ( t t) / ( w hp) = (125 x 15)/(62.4 x 20) = 1.5

Confining
hp = 20 Layer
Only

t = 15 Vertical
Gradients
Only

Blowout/Uplift Calculations
Effective Stress Method
FS = ( b t) / ( w h) = (62.6 x 15)/(62.4 x 5) = 3.0

Confining
h=5 Layer
Only

t = 15 Vertical
Gradients
Only

Blowout/Uplift Calculations
Comparison of the Methods
Effective stress method is more volatile (large range in
calculated FS)
Total stress method gives maximum FS of only about
2.0 when there is no excess head
Neither method accounts for strength of the confining
layer
Neither is a factor of safety against the initiation of
internal erosion

Heave and Blowout 3

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Relation of Heave or Blowout/Uplift

to Internal Erosion
These mechanisms, featuring vertical gradients, may
serve as initiators to an internal erosion process
Rupture of a confining layer may lead to an unfiltered exit
for horizontally eroded soils
Potential for internal erosion depends more on horizontal
gradients

Defects
Impervious

Pervious layer

Internal Erosion FS Calculations

Important to remember there are a number of different
internal erosion mechanisms
There are no widely accepted FS calculations for
most internal erosion processes
There are a couple of equations for BEP/piping in
sandy soils only
As these are based on limited tests and applicable to
limited soil types, use with caution

Internal Erosion FS Calculations

Sellmeijer and colleagues
from Delft/Deltares in
the Netherlands carried
out piping tests in flumes
Generally tested fine to
medium sands
Using results, developed a
mathematical model for Horizontal
Gradients
backward erosion piping Only

Heave and Blowout 4

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Internal Erosion FS Calculations

Sellmeijer et.al. developed a relationship for the gradient
needed to initiate BEP

Really need to read the papers for applications

Horizontal
Gradients
Only

Internal Erosion FS Calculations

Schmertmann and colleagues Increasing
piping

from University of Florida

potential

adapted flume testing of

their own
Focused on sands, but used a
wider range of gradations Decreasing
piping

Measured the point gradient potential

needed to initiate piping

(ipmt)

Internal Erosion FS Calculations

Schmertmann proposed a design method which applies
corrections for a number of factors to relate the lab
tests to field conditions

Really need to read his papers for applications

Horizontal
Gradients
Only

Heave and Blowout 5

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Questions?

Heave and Blowout 6