Non-Darcy Seepage Models of Broken Rock Mass Under Changed Hydraulic and Porous Structure

The non-Darcy seepage characteristics of broken rock mass is important for analyzing the seepage and stability of rock and soil mass. At present, the research on non-Darcy seepage models considering hydraulic conditions and medium void structures has considerable room for improvement. In this study, non-Darcy seepage tests were conducted on broken rock mass under the influence of different hydraulic pressures, sample gradations, and porosities. The influence of sample gradation and porosity on the linear and nonlinear term coefficients of Forchheimer’s law, the critical criterion of non-Darcy seepage, and the seepage flow regime was clarified. The influence of hydraulic gradient on the value of traditional hydraulic conductivity was revealed. A non-Darcy equivalent hydraulic conductivity, which changed with pressure gradient, was defined, then Forchheimer’s law and Darcy’s law were modified. Results showed that the relationship between pressure gradient and flow rate highly obeyed Forchheimer’s law. The minimum value of Forchheimer number was 9.4 times the critical value. Owing to the influence of inertial force and variable seepage channels, the linear and nonlinear term coefficients of Forchheimer’s law decreased while the Forchheimer number increased with the increase of pressure gradient, sample gradation, and porosity. With high hydraulic gradient, the non-Darcy equivalent hydraulic conductivity decreased nonlinearly, causing Darcy’s law to overestimate the seepage flow in this study by 2.47–13.40 times. Finally, Forchheimer’s law and Darcy’s law were modified to consider the influence of hydraulic gradient, sample gradation, and porosity. The modified Darcy’s law does not require the determination of the seepage flow regime and can accommodate the mutual transformation and coexistence between Darcy and non-Darcy seepage.