Exploring the clogging process in coarse soil deposits in a dam foundation

This study investigated the clogging process in coarse soil deposits in a dam foundation using natural soil media. The coarse soil deposits for this experimental study are divided into two types: graded soils with fine particles and graded soils without fine particles. The fine particle content, equivalent particle size, and clogging particle size are found to be vital factors affecting seepage deformation and clogging for the coarse soil deposits in the dam foundation. In experiments using graded soil media with some fines, clogging can effectively increase the content of fine particles in soil media, prevent the continuous development of seepage deformation, and enhance the seepage stability of soil media. For any particle size distribution in the coarse soil deposit, the equivalent particle size in D 20 is the most suitable for calculating the optimum clogging particle size. The hydraulic conductivity for any size of incoming clogging particles, k , has an exponential relationship with the ratio of D 20 squared and the product of C u for the soil media and d e for the equivalent particle size of clogging particles.