Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Soil Mechanics
Subtopic: Permeability and seepage analysis
Question Statement:
The seepage analysis in earthen dams is carried out by drawing flownet which consists of equipotential and stream lines. For a homogeneous and isotropic earthen dam, these two lines are always
Options:
(A) orthogonal to each other
(B) parallel to each other
(C) divergent to each other
(D) convergent to each other
Official Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
• In a homogeneous, isotropic seepage medium, flow follows Laplace’s equation, and the family of streamlines (paths of flow) and the family of equipotential lines (constant total head) form an orthogonal curvilinear net — every streamline crosses every equipotential line at 90°.
• This orthogonality is the basis of flownet construction (curvilinear squares) used to estimate seepage discharge and exit gradients in earthen dams.
• Final Answer: (A) orthogonal to each other
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