Skip to main content
Log in

Unconfined Seepage Analysis Using Moving Kriging Mesh-Free Method with Monte Carlo Integration

  • Published:
Transport in Porous Media Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The unconfined seepage problem is a classic moving boundary problem, in which the position of phreatic surface is unknown at the beginning of solution and should be determined through iteration. Mesh-free methods are especially suitable for solving this problem. In this work, the moving Kriging mesh-free method with Monte Carlo integration is proposed. Additionally, a corresponding procedure for handling material discontinuity is presented, which extends the approach to inhomogeneous medium. The present method is a true mesh-free method, which does not require a mesh for either shape function construction or numerical integration. Another advantage of the present method is the convenient numerical implementation. Numerical examples show that the present method can achieve better convergence and higher accuracy with rational computation cost when compared with the original mesh-free method. The present method is also verified to be applicable in analyzing transient seepage through homogeneous and inhomogeneous media.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akai, K., Ohnishi, Y., Nishigaki, M.: Finite element analysis of saturated–unsaturated seepage flow in soils. Proc. Jpn. Soc. Civil Eng. 264, 87–96 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bardet, J.P., Tobita, T.: A practical method for solving free-surface seepage problems. Comput. Geotech. 29(6), 451–475 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bathe, K.J., Khoshgoftaar, M.R.: Finite element free surface seepage analysis without mesh iteration. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 3, 13–22 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belytschko, T., Lu, Y.Y., Gu, L.: Element-free Galerkin methods. Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 37(2), 229–256 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belytschko, T., Krongauz, Y., Organ, D., et al.: Meshless methods: an overview and recent developments. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 139(1), 3–47 (1996a)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belytschko, T., Krongauz, Y., Fleming, M., et al.: Smoothing and accelerated computations in the element free Galerkin method. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 74(12), 111–126 (1996b)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaiyo, K., Rattanadecho, P., Chantasiriwan, S.: The method of fundamental solutions for solving free boundary saturated seepage problem. Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 38(2), 249–254 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J.T., Hsiao, C.C., Chiu, Y.P., et al.: Study of free-surface seepage problems using hypersingular equations. Commun. Numer. Methods Eng. 23(8), 755–769 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, Y.M., Tsui, Y.: Technical note: an efficient method for the free surface seepage flow problems. Comput. Geotech. 15(1), 47–62 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowe, A.S., Shikaze, S.G., Schwartz, F.W.: A grid generating algorithm for simulating a fluctuating water table boundary in heterogeneous unconfined aquifers. Adv. Water Resour. 22(6), 567–575 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darbandi, M., Torabi, S.O., Saadat, M., et al.: A moving-mesh finite-volume method to solve free-surface seepage problem in arbitrary geometries. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 31(14), 1609–1629 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desai, C.S.: Finite element residual schemes for unconfined flow. Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 10, 1415–1418 (1976)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desai, C.S., Li, G.C.: A residual flow procedure and application for free surface flow in porous media. Adv. Water Resour. 6, 27–35 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frolkovi, P.: Application of level set method for groundwater flow with moving boundary. Adv. Water Resour. 47(10), 56–66 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gioda, G., Gentile, C.: A nonlinear programming analysis of unconfined steady-state seepage. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 11(3), 283–305 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu, L.: Moving Kriging interpolation and element-free Galerkin method. Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 56, 1–11 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hashemi, M.R., Hatam, F.: Unsteady seepage analysis using local radial basis function-based differential quadrature method. Appl. Math. Model. 35(10), 4934–4950 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hornung, U., Krueger, T.: Evaluation of the Polubarinova-Kochina Formula for the dam problem. Water Resour. Res. 21, 395–398 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jie, Y., Jie, G., Mao, Z., et al.: Seepage analysis based on boundary-fitted coordinate transformation method. Comput. Geotech. 31(4), 279–283 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jie, Y.X., Liu, Y.: Simulated annealing based algorithm for node generation in seepage analysis with meshless method. Mech. Res. Commun. 43, 96–100 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jie, Y.X., Fu, X.D., Deng, G.: Treatment of transitional element with the Monte Carlo method for FEM-based seepage analysis. Comput. Geotech. 52(10), 1–6 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazemzadeh-Parsi, M.J., Daneshmand, F.: Unconfined seepage analysis in earth dams using smoothed fixed grid finite element method. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 36(6), 780–797 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazemzadeh-Parsi, M.J., Daneshmand, F.: Three dimensional smoothed fixed grid finite element method for the solution of unconfined seepage problems. Finite Elem. Anal. Des. 64(3), 24–35 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam, L., Fredlund, D.G.: Saturated–unsaturated transient finite element seepage model for geotechnical engineering. Adv. Water Resour. 7, 132–136 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam, L., Fredlund, D.G., Barbour, S.L.: Transient seepage model for saturated–unsaturated soil systems: a geotechnical engineering approach. Can. Geotech. J. 24(4), 565–580 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leontiev, A., Huacasi, W.: Mathematical programming approach for unconfined seepage flow problem. Eng. Anal. Bound. Elem. 25(1), 49–56 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, G.X., Ge, J.H., Jie, Y.X.: Free surface seepage analysis based on the element-free method. Mech. Res. Commun. 30(1), 9–19 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Obnosov, Y.V., Kacimov, A.R., Castro-Orgaz, O.: Analytical solutions for steady phreatic flow appearing/re-emerging toward/from a Bedrock/Caprock Isobaric Breach: the Polubarinova-Kochina–Numerov and Pavlovsky problems revisited. Transp. Porous Media 109(2), 1–22 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Organ, D., Fleming, M., Terry, T., et al.: Continuous meshless approximations for nonconvex bodies by diffraction and transparency. Comput. Mech. 18(3), 225–235 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rafiezadeh, K., Ataie-Ashtiani, B.: Transient free-surface seepage in three-dimensional general anisotropic media by BEM. Eng. Anal. Bound. Elem. 46(3), 51–66 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahrokhabadi, S., Toufigh, M.M.: The solution of unconfined seepage problem using natural element method (NEM) coupled with genetic algorithm (GA). Appl. Math. Model. 37(5), 2775–2786 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharif, N.H., Wiberg, N.E.: Adaptive ICT procedure for non-linear seepage flows with free surface in porous media. Commun. Numer. Methods Eng. 18(3), 161–176 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J.H., Xu, Q.J., Chen, Z.Y.: Seepage analysis based on the unified unsaturated soil theory. Mech. Res. Commun. 28(1), 107–112 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, H., Liu, D.F., Lee, C.F., et al.: New variational inequality formulation for seepage problems with free surfaces. Appl. Math. Mech. 26(3), 396–406 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, B., Dai, B.: A meshless local moving Kriging method for two-dimensional solids. Appl. Math. Comput. 218(2), 563–573 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, H., Liu, F., Li, C.: Primal mixed solution to unconfined seepage flow in porous media with numerical manifold method. Appl. Math. Model. 39(2), 794–808 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) through Grant Nos. 41530638, 41372302 and High Level Talent Project in Guangdong Province through Grant No. 20143900042010003.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cuiying Zhou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, W., Dai, B., Liu, Z. et al. Unconfined Seepage Analysis Using Moving Kriging Mesh-Free Method with Monte Carlo Integration. Transp Porous Med 116, 163–180 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-016-0769-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-016-0769-9

Keywords

Navigation