An analytical solution for steady seepage into a defective pipe

Abstract An analytical solution was proposed for the groundwater flow through a defective pipe, which can be used to estimate the water flow rate into the pipe and predict the pore water pressure distribution in surrounding soils. This analytical solution was verified by comparing with experimental results, and the predicted pressure distribution around the defective pipe is proved to be consistent with numerical simulations using the finite element method. From the parametric analysis, the infiltration rate increases as the defect position changes from top to bottom on the pipe, and the effect of defect position is not significant if the water head above the defect is 10 times greater than pipe radius. An approximated solution for estimating the groundwater flow infiltration rate through a circular orifice on the pipe is proposed as well. From the verification and parametric studies, this proposed analytical solution is proved to be an efficient approach for the estimation of groundwater infiltration through a defective pipe.