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Analyzing Steady-State Flow in an Inclined Soil Slab with an Electric Analog¹

ABSTRACT

An electrical resistance network analog was used to analyze the steady-state flow in sloping land modeled as an inclined soil slab for both saturated and unsaturated conditions. At saturation the equipotentials and surface fluxes are symmetrical about the vertical midplane of the slab and agree with an analytic solution. For "rainfall" rates lower than that necessary to saturate the slab, this symmetry is lost. For unsaturated flow a step function representation of the pressure head-conductivity relationship gives comparable results to a more complicated function. As the angle of slope is increased, even though part of the slab may be unsaturated, the internal flow rate increases, especially at the lower outflow end of the slab. Although the results are presented for homogenous-isotropic soils, they can be used for anisotropic soils by using a transformation process.

Contribution from the SWC, ARS, USDA, Corn Belt Branch, Urbana, Ill. on research conducted at the US Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Ariz. Presented before Div. S-1, Soil Science Society of America, Nov. 9, 1967 at Washington, D.C.

² Research Soil Scientist, USDA, Phoenix, Ariz.

Received for publication May 9, 1968. Accepted for publication July 26, 1968.