• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.35-42
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• 2012

This paper evaluates the effect of anisotropic conductivity on the seepage face and reliability index of an homogeneous dam with and without toe drain. The analysis are conducted under steady state saturated-unsaturated seepage condition using finite element method. Various anisotropic conductivity ratios were interpreted under such conditions as the vertical conductivity is reduced while the horizon conductivity is fixed. The shear strength of soil is defined by the modified Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. The analysis results demonstrate that the length of seepage face and reliability index at the downstream and upstream of the dam increase with an increasing anisotropic ratio. These results of the seepage face and reliability index, however, depend on the total head difference between the upstream slope and downstream toe. The difference in seepage face and reliability index is attributed to the different equipotential head with different anisotropic ratios of the dam material.