Numerical simulation of free surface seepage in saturated soil using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

Abstract

In this paper we present numerical simulations of free surface seepage in saturated soil using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics. The modeling of the water seepage is based on mixture theory. Soil skeleton and water are depicted by different kinds of particles. The water particles move according to momentum equations while the soil par- ticles are fixed in position. The interactions between these two phases, consisting of drag force and buoyancy force, are added to the governing equations of the water phase. A non-linear drag force model is adopted. Numerical results are compared with that from literature. It is demonstrated that seepage surface and pressure field can be obtained with satisfactory accuracy with the present model.