The rationing system effect on seepage from the cement-treated gypsum canals

Abstract

Abstract The shortage of irrigation water requires specific measures. One of these measures is the application of the rationing system (a period of irrigation followed by a period of drought). This system could have an effect on the behavior and properties of irrigation canals. So, studying rationing system on the irrigation canals is important both in civil engineering and water resources engineering, especially if these channels constructed with gypsum soil. This study includes the calculation of seepage velocity and water content in each cycle (10 days wetting and 10 days of drying). The model is built for this research contains four samples, two samples for untreated soil one of them exposed to a rationing system while the other two samples mixed with 10% cement also one of them exposed to rationing system. The paper reveals that the seepage velocity decreases about 90% when using cement as a treatment material. The seepage velocity and water content value changes with cycles of rationing, where the seepage velocity relatively increases and stabilizes in the case of untreated soil. In the case of the treatment soil, the seepage velocity is very little and reduces with each cycle of rationing. In the absence of a rationing system, the results are completely reversed.