1st Edition

Mechanics of Groundwater in Porous Media

By Muhammad I. Haque Copyright 2015
    280 Pages 131 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    280 Pages 131 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Provides a Balance between the Mathematical and Physical Aspects and the Engineering Applications

    Written for engineering and science students, Mechanics of Groundwater in Porous Media explains groundwater from both a mathematical and qualitative standpoint. The book builds up the theory of groundwater flow starting from basic physics and geometric intuition, and on to applied practice through real-world engineering problems. It includes graphical illustrations as well as solved illustrative problems throughout the text.

    Considers the Steady-State Motion of Groundwater

    The book starts off by introducing the overall picture of groundwater, its relationship with the hydrological cycle, and other terminology used in the mechanics of groundwater flow though porous means. It presents a synopsis of basic definitions, concepts, and the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and soil mechanics, which are necessary prerequisites for an adequate understanding of the book’s core material. The engineering applications are deducted from geometric and physical reasoning, with a minimum use of mathematical abstraction.

    Mechanics of Groundwater in Porous Media is written primarily to serve as a textbook for senior undergraduate and upper-level graduate students in civil and environmental engineering, environmental science, hydrogeology, and geology, as well as a resource for practicing engineers.

    Introduction

    Hydrological cycle

    Vertical moisture profile

    Classification of aquifers

    River–aquifer interaction

    Homogeneity and isotropy of aquifers

    Illustrative problems

    Suggested readings

    Preliminaries

    Preliminaries from fluid mechanics

    Preliminaries from soil mechanics

    Continuum concept of a porous medium

    Stagnant groundwater and zero-gradient of piezometric head

    Piezometric head in the field

    Illustrative problems

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Field equations of flow through a porous medium

    Darcy’s law

    Conservation of mass, or continuity, equation

    Laplace equation

    Two-dimensional anisotropic medium and permeability matrix (or tensor)

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Discharge potentials for two-dimensional flows in horizontal, shallow aquifers

    Horizontal, shallow, confined (artesian) aquifer

    Horizontal, shallow, unconfined (phreatic) aquifer

    Horizontal, shallow, partly confined aquifer

    Applications

    Illustrative problems

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Laplace equation, superposition of harmonic functions, and method of images

    Some important properties of harmonic functions

    Method of images

    Method of images for circular boundary

    Illustrative problems

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Flow net

    Isotropic case

    Anisotropic case

    Layered heterogeneity

    Concluding remarks

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Determination of aquifer characteristics

    Determination of transmissivity or coefficient of permeability

    Theis equation: Transient radial flow to a well in a confined aquifer

    Theis method

    Jacob straight-line method

    Modification of the Jacob method: Distance–drawdown method

    Remarks on the use of the Thiem equation in the case of unsteady flow condition

    Exercises

    Suggested readings

    Coastal aquifers

    Ghyben–Herzberg principle

    Strack’s analysis: Instability caused by a fully penetrating well in a shallow coastal aquifer

    Suggested readings

    Finite element method

    Steady-state groundwater flow in a known two-dimensional region

    Finite element formulation for the Laplace equation

    Suggested readings

    Appendices

    Index

    Biography

    Dr. M. I. Haque currently serves as the professor of engineering and applied science in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at The George Washington University, where he teaches a course on groundwater and seepage. A recipient of graduate degrees in hydraulics and mechanics, he has spent over a period of four decades in research and practice involving water resources engineering, specializing in the field of computational hydraulics and structures, using the finite element method.

    "This book will be a useful addition to the professional library of groundwater modellers and hydrogeologists. Its treatment of the mathematics and analysis of groundwater flow is clear and thorough, and it is invaluable in presenting the fundamentals of groundwater flow through porous media in a simple way."
    —Martin Preene, Golder Associates

    "I am pleased to know about the book. … appears to have been written with a great care and was pleased to see a fresh description and illustration … I found the presentation clear & lucid and also summarised some new points that are not found in related books in this subject."
    —Sekhar Muddu, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore