Mechanics of Groundwater in Porous Media

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

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.