Seepage failure experiments on sand behind sheet piles

Seepage failure phenomenon such as piping, boiling or bulk heave of soil is one of important topics in design of underground construction in soft ground composed of sand and/or silt. There are many uncertainties left in seepage failure problem. In this paper, a test apparatus was designed for studying seepage failure of soil behind sheet piles, and a series of tests was conducted. From the experiments and FEM analyses, a method of knowing conditions of seepage flow through soil such as homogeneity and anisotropy is presented, and the hydraulic head difference at the onset of marked deformation is then discussed.