Uses of Flow Nets
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The graphical properties of a flow net can be used in obtaining solutions for many seepage problems such as:

1. Estimation of seepage losses from reservoirs: It is possible to use the flow net in the transformed space to calculate the flow underneath the dam.

2. Determination of uplift pressures below dams: From the flow net, the pressure head at any point at the base of the dam can be determined. The uplift pressure distribution along the base can be drawn and then summed up.

3. Checking the possibility of piping beneath dams: At the toe of a dam when the upward exit hydraulic gradient approaches unity, boiling condition can occur leading to erosion in soil and consequent piping. Many dams on soil foundations have failed because of a sudden formation of a piped shaped discharge channel. As the stored water rushes out, the channel widens and catastrophic failure results. This is also often referred to as piping failure.

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