Abstract
A governing equation is formulated for the stream function of the steady Darcy flow through isotropic and nonhomogeneous porous media, newly considering its definition domain. The present approach differs from the method in which it is based on the governing equation for anisotropic porous media. A Galerkin-type finite element method is used to solve the equation of stream function for such typical flows as a flow under a sheet pile, a flow due to subsoil pipe drains in a paddy field with layered soils and a flow through earth banks with a free surface. For the last one, in particular, clearing the boundary condition which requires for a stream function at a discharge surface, the saturated-unsaturated flow net over the entire porous domain including the unsaturated region are numerically obtained from both solutions of stream functions and potentials which are obtained by finite element method.
