The Research on the Finite Element Seepage Calculation of Earth Dam Considering the Effect of Unsaturated Region

In the traditional earth dam seepage calculation, the permeability coefficient of saturated soil is considered as fixed value. Actually, the seepage of earth dam carries out unsaturated characteristics. The permeability coefficient of unsaturated soil is a nonlinear function which is closely related to volumetric water content and pore water pressure. Based on the saturated-unsaturated soil seepage calculation theory and considering the effects of unsaturated region on the seepage field, seepage finite element calculations and researches of one earth dam have been done in this paper. The results show that the study of the earth dam finite element calculation which considers the effects of unsaturated soil seepage can get more accurate and reasonable seepage field calculation results.