Author(s)

E.V. da Veiga, J.M.P. Marado, N. Haie, J.C. Marques & J.B. Martins

Abstract

BEM and IEM applied to seepage problems. Some comparisons. E.V. da Veiga", J.M.P. Marado\ N. Haie«, J.C. Marques* & J.B. Martins" " Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal * Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Oporto, Portugal ABSTRACT The problems of confined and free surface seepage are stated and the governing differential equations associated to boundary conditions are solved both by boundary element methods (BEM) and by finite element methods with infinite elements (IEM) on infinite boundaries. In solving the free surface problem by FEM a variable network of elements should be set up. To avoid such difficulty a fixed network is used associated with a variable permeability in the non-saturated field near the free-surface. In the corresponding BEM such difficulty does not arise. The free surface is obtained by two phase iterations, estimating first the position of the point of interception between the free surface and the down stream slope. Applications of both

Keywords