World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
Modeling Soil Loss by Water Infiltration through Sewer Pipe Defects
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: Hydraulics and Waterways, Water Distribution Systems Analysis, and Smart Water
ABSTRACT
Due to deterioration of sewer pipes, soils can be lost by water infiltration through pipe defects, which may result in ground collapses and/or the formation of urban sinkholes. In this paper, soil particles without cohesion are simulated using a coupled discrete element method, and the Darcy’s water model is incorporated to account for the soil/water interaction. The parameters in this numerical model are calibrated using previous physical experimental measurements. From the numerical results, soils above the pipe defect will be washed out by water flow in a narrow zone just above the pipe defect, and the width is proportional to the pipe defect size. Based on the analysis of the force chain between soil particles in the erosion process, it is found that soil particles close to the pipe defect are lost under the gravity and drag force, whereas the friction between soil particles has a negligible effect on the soil particle motion. From the variation of soil flow rate in the erosion process, the rate of soil loss is proportional to the water flow rate in the erosion process. An analytical model is developed incorporating Stokes law to account for the water flow, and the model is verified by comparing with physical and numerical results. The mechanism of soil loss due to defective sewer pipe is investigated in this numerical simulation, and the proposed analytical model provides an effective approach for estimating the soil flow rate in the erosion.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research is supported by Alberta Innovation Technology Futures (AITF) Graduate Student Scholarship, Mitacs Globalink Research Award, and China Scholarship Council (CSC). The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
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Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: Hydraulics and Waterways, Water Distribution Systems Analysis, and Smart Water
Pages: 254 - 262
Editor: Sri Kamojjala, Las Vegas Valley Water District
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8142-4
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: May 31, 2018
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