Mechanics of Groundwater in Porous Media

This book evolved from the lectures that I delivered to senior undergraduate and graduate students during the past 25 years or so, primarily in the civil engineering curriculum at The George Washington University.

During this period, many students have contributed directly or indirectly by raising thoughtful questions. I am indebted to all of them. There are a number of textbooks that treat the subject of groundwater either from a qualitative or from a rather abstract mathematical perspective.

In this book, I have tried to maintain a balance between the two viewpoints. Nevertheless, a working knowledge of university level mathematics generally obtained during the first two years in an engineering curriculum, or a qualitative science field, with some exposure to geology will provide an adequate preparation on the part of the reader. Mathematical complexity, if any, is gradually introduced throughout the text. I have, however, made liberal use of graphical illustrations to aid in the comprehension of physics and mathematical concepts, as applied to the field of groundwater hydrology. This aspect, coupled with a number of completely worked out illustrative problems in the text, should appeal both to students and practicing engineers.

This book addresses the subject of steady-state motion of groundwater in porous media only. An exception is the application of Theis’ transient flow equations to the problem of the determination of aquifer characteristics in Chapter 7. Although topics such as unsteady flows in unsaturated media with possible application to the transport of contaminants constitute an important aspect of groundwater mechanics, these are not treated here to limit the volume of the book.

I express my gratitude to my colleague and friend, rofessor Khalid Mahmood, with whom I spent hours discussing various topics ranging from the arts to the sciences. Without his constant inspiration and encouragement, this task would not have been successfully completed.

I have immensely benefitted from previous authors, in particular Professor M. E. Harr and Professor Otto D. L. Strack, during the preparation of this manuscript. A special note of thanks is due to Professor Erik Thompson of You sent Colorado State University for introducing the finite element method to me.

download :- here