Models for predicting the seepage velocity and seepage force in a fiber reinforced silty soil

Randomly reinforced soil is used in hydraulic projects such as temporary canals, earth dams, stream restoration and so on for controlling seepage. This paper presents an investigation into the effect of random reinforcement on the seepage velocity and seepage force in a silty soil. Experimental tests were carried out on randomly reinforced samples with two types of fiber at different lengths and percentages. The results show that the random reinforcement of soils with fiber is an effective technique in controlling the seepage velocity and seepage force. Regression models were developed based on the experimental data for determination the seepage velocity and seepage force. The proposed models include the length of fiber, fiber content of soil and hydraulic gradient. Comparison between the model predictions and the experimental results shows that the proposed models can satisfactorily predict the seepage velocity and seepage force for a randomly reinforced silty soil. Analysis of the results of the proposed models shows that the seepage velocity increases with increasing the hydraulic gradient but decreases with increasing fiber length and fiber content. In addition the seepage force increases with increasing the fiber length and fiber content of the soil.