Analytical Method for Groundwater Seepage through and Beneath a Fully Penetrating Cut-off Wall Considering Effects of Wall Permeability and Thickness

A fully penetrating cut-off wall is a vertical seepage barrier that penetrates an aquifer and embedded in underlying aquitard to certain depth. Groundwater with this type of occurs through three paths: leakage the body aquifer, aquitard, under wall. Seepage first path can be simply treated as one-dimensional flow. However, due mutual influence latter two paths, problem complicated still needs studied. An analytical method proposed solve study. Mathematic expressions for flow rate head value are obtained by superposition drawdowns exact models, namely, model only wall, respectively. Exact solutions quoted or derived but they involve Legendre’s elliptic integrals third kinds. To facilitate engineering application, approximate models introduced their applied formulas. The accuracy applicability verified compared numerical method. provides simple effective quickly estimating quantity (including wall) when simultaneously considering effects permeability thickness.